Too Young to Die Old
by elledottore
Summary: What if Nessa took cues from her older sister on how to act? What if she was proud of her disability instead of ashamed of it? AU, Nessa/OC, plus some Fiyeraba.
1. Arrival at Shiz

**Hello! New story!**

 **So, if you've read my profile and my other stories, you know that I am NOT a Nessa fan. I think she's a whiny, naïve, spoiled brat who needs to get over herself. So, I began thinking: what if Nessa was a bit more like Elphaba when it comes to her oddity? And I challenged myself to write this fic. Here we go.**

 **And, this is not Bessa. This is Nessa/OC. Sorry, Bessa fans. But, of course, there will be some Fiyeraba, because what's a Wicked fic without Fiyeraba?**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

It was the longest, most awkward carriage ride I had ever been on. Elphaba was staring out the window with wide eyes, like she was a little kid at Munchkin Wonderland. Father was glaring at Elphaba, and our driver, Finley, was focusing on the road, trying to ignore all the tension. And I? I was reading _No Pity_ by Upodi Darkson, a wonderful book detailing the disability rights movement in Oz thus far. Did you know that Shiz's Reckbith program was originally for disabled veterans of the Evian War? I certainly didn't!

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Nessarose Thropp, second and youngest daughter of the governor of Munchkinland. I also happen to be the future governor of Munchkinland. Elphaba is my older sister, and you might wonder why she isn't going to be governor. Simply put: Father is a bigot. See, my sister has an … interesting appearance. She's green. Yeah. Weird, huh? And because Father didn't want me to be green too, he had our mother chew milk flowers while she was pregnant with me. Buuut … this made me come too early, and thus I am crippled while our mother is no more. Elphaba blames herself for all of this, of course. Honestly, Armageddon could break out, and Elphaba would blame herself!

Father turned to me. "We're almost to Shiz, Nessa," he said with a smile. "You excited?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Shiz will be great. And I know Fabala's excited too. Right, Fabala?"

Elphaba jolted back from her daze. "Huh? Oh, yeah, Shiz, yeah. It's … going to be a thrill."

"I know you'll make lots of friends," Father said to me.

I sighed. "Yeah …" I gave Elphaba an apologetic look. _I tried._

She smiled a little. _It's okay._ Father hates Elphaba for what happened to me, but I really don't. It's not just that I don't think it's her fault (and it isn't), but being crippled is really not so bad. It's made me aware of what needs to be done in Munchkinland for disabled people, and I can't wait to start working on it! And yes, I do use the word "crippled" as well as its slang, "Crip." Father and Elphaba both get queasy when I use it, but for me, it's just like when Animals call themselves "uncivs." It's cool.

Shiz! What can I say about it? It's huge, first of all. I knew I was going to have to balance a campus map on my lap to find all my classes for at least the first year! Because it was move in day, the campus was humming with hustle and bustle. Finley dropped us off at Crage Hall, where the girls' orientation was, and where Elphaba was going to be living.

I swear, as soon as we entered Crage Hall, it was like someone had flipped a switch. Every single eye was on Elphaba. "So rude," she whispered to me. "Idiots, the lot of them."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Didn't their mothers tell them it's not polite to stare?"

"Apparently not. I've had enough of this." She stepped forward and addressed the students. "What?! What all you all looking at? Oh, do I have something in my teeth? Is my underskirt showing?"

But they all just stared at her blankly and did not catch her sarcasm. And oh yes, both my sister and I are bosses when it comes to sarcasm. It just comes with the territory of being crippled and green.

"Alright, fine, let's get this over with," Elphaba said with a sigh, putting down her suitcase. "Yes, I've always been green. No, I am not seasick. No, I did not eat grass as a child …"

"And she's not half elf, either!" I added. "I should know. I'm her younger sister, Nessarose, and as you can see, I'm a perfectly normal color!"

"Elphaba!" Aaand, Father had arrived with our stuff. "Stop making a spectacle of yourself and stop encouraging your sister to do the same. I'm sending you to this school for one reason."

"I know," Elphaba said quietly. "To look after Nessa." Yeah. I had convinced Father to let Elphaba come to Shiz, arguing that I didn't have all my PA shifts filled. It would be cheaper and easier for Elphaba to do those shifts, so Father agreed. Fabala bought me a milkshake that day to express her gratitution!

"My precious little girl!" Father said lovingly. "Here, a parting gift." He handed me a box. Yep, shoes. Definitely shoes. Ugh. Father seemed to think that because I'm crippled, I like pretty things like that. He never got me a book.

But I have to admit, I gasped when I pulled the shoes out. "Oh, Father!" I exclaimed. "Jeweled shoes!" They weren't very practical, but they were very pretty: silver, each jewel catching the light at a different time.

Father smiled proudly. "As befits the future governor of Munchkinland. Goodbye, my dear." He kissed me. I smiled. Father was a kind man – when he wanted to be. "Elphaba, take care of your sister. And try not to talk so much!"

Elphaba looked crestfallen as he left. There was nothing else in that box, nothing for her. "Oh, come off it, Fabala!" I exclaimed, handing her the shoes. "I know you want them. I don't want them; they're ridiculous! I'll wear them when he comes to visit, and you can have them the rest of the time."

She shook her head. "No way, Nessa. I'd look more ridiculous in them than you would. I clash with everything." We snickered at that as the headmistress came into the room.

"Welcome, girls!" she said in an unctuous tone that I immediately hated. "Welcome to Crage Hall, and welcome to Shiz University! I'm Madam Morrible, your headshiztress. Whether you are here to study law, logic, or linguification, I speak for my fellow faculty members when I say we have nothing but the highest hopes … for some of you."

Both Elphaba and I laughed quietly at that. Yeah, some of these girls would not make it far. In particular, I noticed a blonde girl who was literally sitting on top of all her suitcases and primping her hair. How did she even get into Shiz?!

Madman Morrible noticed our sniggering. But instead of getting mad, she strode over to us with a proud smile on her face. "You must be the governor's daughters! Miss Nessarose! What a tragically beautiful face you have."

I bit back a guffaw as I said, "Thank you, Madam." Honestly, the things people say when they're trying to be nice!

The headmistress did a hilarious double take when she saw Elphaba. "And … who are you?"

"I'm Elphaba, the other daughter," Elphaba said with a smirk. "I'm beautifully tragic." I snorted in amusement. _Good one, Fabala!_

"Well … I'm sure you're very bright!" Madam Morrible said, still recovering from her shock. The blonde girl and her cronies started giggling at that. Why, I oughta … "But Miss Nessarose? You're living at Mujant Hall, correct? Their orientation is starting soon."

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, just remembering. "I'd better head down there. Good luck, Fabala!"

"Be careful, Nessa!" And, campus map in hand, I made my way to Mujant Hall.

 **Let me know what y'all think!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	2. Bad Situations

Chapter 2

When I got to Mujant Hall, I was greeted by Pagia, the director. "Miss Nessarose!" she said happily. "Welcome to Mujant! Orientation is in Room 1101, so you can just wheel right on in there!" She seemed relaxed, almost too relaxed for someone heading a disabled students' dormitory.

"Thank you," I said. "I will."

I went into the room and parked myself next a boy who was rich enough to afford the Wizard's latest invention: an electric wheelchair. Even our family would lose most of our wealth if we bought one of those. I smiled at the boy, and he nodded to acknowledge my presence. I noticed that he was the only student who had an electric wheelchair; the rest of us had manual chairs that we could either propel ourselves or were pushed for us. There is an unspoken rivalry in disability culture between those who can propel themselves and those who need to be pushed. People who need to be pushed feel like we get to much press because we can do more. I kind of get that, but hey, it's not our fault.

Pagia and her assistant directors, Casedoa and Sazenne, droned on and on about the importance of getting our PA shifts filled, how to put in a work order, when to put out laundry, how important COMMUNICATION was, and blah blah blah. I just hoped the staff were putting my stuff in the right places.

"I know you all are eager to find out who your suitemates are," Pagia said with a grin. "So here's the moment you've been waiting for. When I call your name, come up and get your room number and keys. Master Evit and Master Galon."

The boy next to me perked up at the first name and drove up to get his key. Evit. Unusual name. A bit like the girls' name Evie. Upper class naming – interesting.

The list went on until finally, "Miss Nessarose and Miss Fralina." The girl who came up with me was clearly from Gilikin: blonde hair, blue eyes, the works. Probably completely shallow. Disability does NOT prevent that!

"Miss Nessarose, you'll be in Room 1018," Pagia told me, handing us our keys. "And Miss Fralina, you'll be in Room 1020. Have you got all your shifts filled?"

"Oh, that's very kind of you to ask, Pagia, but my parents have already hired a private maid," Fralina said primly. "I'm covered." She grinned and tossed her hair. Yep. An airhead.

Pagia turned to me. "Miss Nessarose?"

"No, but my sister has agreed to fill my open shifts for as long as necessary," I said quietly. "So I'm covered too."

"Wonderful! To your suite, young ladies!"

"Oh my Oz!" Fralina squealed as we made our way down the hall. "I am SO thrillified to be your suitmate! You're Governor Thropp's daughter! What's that like? I bet you have SO many dresses! Do the Munchkins mind that you're disabilified? I sure hope not! You're so pretty! I would KILL to have skin like that! And from what I've heard, your sister probably would too. Tell me, does she really look that horrendible?"

"My sister is indeed green and very sensitive about it," I answered curtly. "When are your shower shifts?"

She acquired an offended air. "Well! I get my hair washed and treated every night from 7:30 to 8:30, except on Sundays when I soak it for three hours …"

"I'll just have Fabala shower me before dinner, then."

Fralina wrinkled her nose. "Is that your sister?! And she SHOWERS you?! EWWW! I need to go lie down!" And I was suddenly very thankful that she was my suitemate, and not my roommate.

But she might as well have been my roommate, because that afternoon I could hear her singing through the walls at the top of her lungs! And she was not exactly good enough to be at the Emerald City Opera House. I wheeled through our bathroom and into her room. "Would you keep it down?! Some of us are trying to read!"

Fralina sniffed. "You're grumpy. I don't get it. You have everything you could possibly want!"

"Ugh!" And so I retreated to the undergraduate library.

In the library, I found a cozy spot where I could read my book in peace. But my reading was soon interrupted by, "There you are, Nessa! An actual sane person!"

I looked up at her with a smirk. "What happened, Fabala?"

"You'll never guess who Horrible Morrible put me with!"

"Who?"

"Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," Elphaba said mockingly. "Remember? That blonde girl we saw in the lobby? Yeah, she's my roommate now: this primping, giggling, infuriating, obnoxious IDIOT!"

I nodded in empathy. "Yeah, my suitemate is no better. Fralina bon Massere. She's already monopolizing our bathroom for the treatment of her precious hair. And her voice! Ugh! Like nails on a slate!"

"Galinda's too! I'll be lucky if by the end of the semester, I'm not deaf because of her shrieking." Elphaba brightened a little. "But on the up side? I was so upset about rooming with Miss Bubblehead that I … had a … thing."

I raised an eyebrow. "How is that an up side?"

"Because, Nessie," Elphaba said, leaning into me, "I might meet the Wizard!" Well, good for Fabala!

That night in the shower, my PA was helping me stand up to get back in my wheelchair when something fell on my head. Lurline's Shampoo for Blondes. And that was just one of the multiple hair products in our shower. Arrgh. I would confront her about that later. But after my shower, I wrote a letter.

 _My dear Father,_

 _There's been some confusion over suitting here at Shiz. But of course, Fabala's being attentive. For I know that's what you'd want me to say. But there's been some confusion for, you see, my suitemate is …_

I searched for a good word, and finally came up with:

 _Blonde._


	3. First Day of Classes

**Hey, it's me. Did you miss me? Yeah, updates are going to be kind of sporadic, sorry about that. But I WILL update, never fear!**

 **Also, a warm welcome to my newest reviewer and fellow Crip: Gothic Butterfly 95! Welcome to TYtDO!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

"Nessa … wake up. Come on, Nessie." No. It was too early to even consider getting up.

"Mmmph. Goway, Fabala." I rolled over and put the covers over my head.

"Nessarose Michetta Thropp!" Elphaba yanked the covers off me. "It is 7:30 AM! We have our first history class at 9! I don't want to be late, and neither do you! Let's GO!" So, with a groan, I hoisted myself into a sitting position as Elphaba helped me get my legs off the bed. All I could think at that point was: _Must have coffee or die._

A while later, when I was a bit more awake, Elphaba was helping me use the bathroom, when suddenly the other door to the bathroom opened, and Her Royal Blondeness drove in. "Excuse me!" I shrieked. "Do you MIND?! That 'in use' light is there for a reason!"

You probably could have heard Fralina's scream all the way from Ozma Towers. "SHE EVEN TAKES YOU TO THE BATHROOM?!"

"Oh, yes, forgive me for not introducing you two," I said sarcastically, feeling even angrier as I saw Elphaba's eyes lower to the floor. "Fralina, this is my elder sister Elphaba. Fabala, this is my lovely suitemate Fralina."

"I'm using Gwendola's bathroom!" And with that, she bolted from the room, her poor maid running after her.

I turned to Elphaba. "So yeah. That's Fralina."

Fabala chuckled. "She seems nice enough. Personally, I think she and Galinda would get along great!"

History class was just … blah. It was taught by a Goat, Doctor Dillamond, who knew a crap ton of facts and raged about Animal rights like he was one of us. Elphaba was enthralled by him; she barely blinked the whole class. Me, not so much. I mean, the old Goat had a point, but I had my own rights movement to focus on.

But, I did get to see the bane of my sister's existence, Galinda Upland, in action. Doctor Dillamond was taking attendance, and he called out, "Miss Glinda Upland?"

"It's _Ga_ linda," she corrected him icily. "The proper Gilikinese pronunciation, if you don't mind."

Elphaba leaned into me. "I'll give her a 'proper Gilikinese pronunciation.'"

"Shh!" I said, trying not to laugh. "She might hear you."

Later on in class, Doctor Dillamond was droning on, "To compensate for the Great Draught, Ozma the Conservative made budget cuts, defunding the Animal Education Program put in place by … which Ozma? Yes, Miss … Elphaba?"

"Ozma the Gentle," Elphaba answered confidently.

The Goat's eyes lit up like a Lurlinemus tree. "Yes! That's right! Very good!" I smirked at Fabala. Doctor Dillamond seemed surprised to see a student actually giving a competent answer. "Now, this program worked for some time until the aforementioned Great Draught, when in fact everything was cut back: health care and the military and such. Yes, Miss … uh … Nessarose? Do you have a question?"

"More like a comment," I said. "You seem to be forgetting that Ozma the Conservative also cut back on programs for the disabled, leaving many of us with neither education nor work. This injustice did not get any better until the Evian War, when the government was forced to provide services for disabled veterans. That is, in fact, what started the Reckbith program here at Shiz."

Doctor Dillamond was now even more thrillified than he had been at Elphaba's comment, if that was even possible. "Well! Miss Nessarose! Do forgive me! I do not at all intend to start an 'oppression competition' with you! You are right, of course: persons with disabilities were also affected by these budget cuts."

And then he proceeded to launch back into his Animal lecture.

As the class was leaving, Doctor Dillamond called out, "Miss Elphaba? Miss Nessarose? May I speak with the two of you for a moment?"

"Of course, Doctor Dillamond," Elphaba said, pushing me up to his desk. "What is it?"

He looked happily at us. "You two girls are the most competent students I have seen at this university in a long time. And sisters too! Your parents must be very proud."

Fabala's mouth twitched at that, and I could not help but make a small sound. I don't think Doctor Dillamond noticed.

"Anyway, I am the faculty advisor for Shiz's Anti Defamation League, and I was wondering if you two might like to join. Every Tuesday at 7:30 PM in Linoleru Hall?"

"Are you serious?!" Elphaba asked incredulously. "We'd love to! Wouldn't we, Nessa?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Only … I have a PA shift then. But screw it! I'll fire her and you can take care of me, Fabala!"

"Yeah! We'll be there, Doctor Dillamond!"

Unfortunately, Ozian History was my only class with Elphaba that day. I had Civics 101 (an unspoken requirements for anyone destined to be a leader) and Rehab 199 with Pagia and my fellow Mujant Hall residents. I felt a jolt of surprise as Evit drove next to me. "Hi," I said nervously.

"Hi," he replied. "You're … Nessarose."

"And … you're Evit! Glad we know each other's names!"

"Yeah." He slouched in his wheelchair. "So, how much are you betting that this class is going to be even more bullshit than the other classes?"

"Excuse me?!" I did not know whether to be more shocked at his posture or at his attitude toward his classes.

"C'mon, you know it's gonna be the same old shit that Pagia, Sazenne, and Casedoa drill into our heads constantly: get your PA shifts filled, COMMUNICATE, make sure your Me Book is updated, blah blah blah." He pulled a pack of gum out of his pocket and popped a piece into his mouth. He pulled out another piece and held it out to me. "Want one?"

"Sure." Father detested gum, and I suddenly felt rebellious. Spearmint, my favorite. Evit and I shared a grin as Pagia called us to order.

Well, Evit's prediction turned out to be spot on. Pagia basically lectured us about our responsibilities, and I actually wished I was back in Doctor Dillamond's class. In fact, it was so boring that I fell asleep halfway through, and only woke up when Evit poked me. "Hey, sleepybones. Class is over." He grinned at me in amusement.

I groaned and sat up. "What'd I miss?"

"Usual shit. Don't worry about it." He turned on his chair and made his way to the door. "See you around, Rose." And though I desperately tried to hide it, I could not stop smiling as I went down to the dining hall.

 **And that is that!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	4. The ADL

Chapter 4

On Tuesday night, I met Elphaba outside Mujant Hall. She looked positively ecstatic. "This is what college is all about, Nessa!" she said excitedly as we made our way to Linoleru Hall. "Advocating for change! You know, when Mama was here, she effectively shut down the dining hall to protest them not having vegetarian and vegan options. And Father helped her!"

I scoffed in shock. "Father helped her?!"

"Yeah, that's what she told me. Guess he became less fun once married life got to him." Her tight smile could hardly disguise what she really meant: _Once I got to him._ Still, it was hard to picture Father as a fighting revolutionary.

We arrived at Linoleru Hall, and found about twenty students milling around, chatting. Doctor Dillamond was at the front of the room, talking to a girl who looked like she could be a junior or a senior. Once he saw us, his face lit up. "Miss Elphaba! Miss Nessarose!" He led the girl over to us. "I'd like you to meet our president, Miss Skyla Parde. Miss Skyla, these are the Misses Elphaba and Nessarose Thropp, our newest members."

Skyla's eyes widened. "The governor's daughters?"

Amazingly, Elphaba and I nodded in perfect synchronization. "We thought you all could use a little fire power," Elphaba told her. "After all, little Nessie here is going to be governor one day!" She ruffled my hair good naturedly.

"Oh, stop it, Fabala!" I said jokingly, pretending to push her away. "What my silly sister means is that we'll be willing to help in any way we can."

Skyla chuckled. "Great! We appreciate it." I noticed, with silent approval, that Skyla did not talk down to me in any way, nor did she seem at all taken aback by Fabala's skin. So Shiz wasn't completely full of idiots. What a blessing.

Doctor Dillamond then motioned for everyone to be silent. "Welcome back to Shiz, students!" he greeted us. "And welcome to Shiz for our freshers. This is going to be an exciting year for the ADL, right?"

"RIGHT!" everyone chorused back at him. Man, Doctor Dillamond may have been a boring teacher, but he sure was an awesome faculty advisor!

He nodded approvingly. "That's what I like to hear. Now, Miss Skyla is going to tell you all about our first protest." Everyone cheered as Skyla walked up to the front.

"It has come to my attention that Shiz does not have gender neutral bathrooms," she began, "which, as you know, is very uncomfortable for transgender students. So, in two weeks' time, we will station ourselves outside the bathrooms in the Dingleberry Commons, and let our voices be heard! How does that sound, people?"

Another cheer went up. "Mujant is part of Dingleberry, right?" Elphaba asked me quietly.

I nodded. "Yeah."

She grinned. "Cool. You'll be close to the action." As the meeting went on, I grew more and more excited for the protest.

After the meeting, Elphaba and I went back to Mujant so she could shower me. "You don't have to put me to bed," I told her as we went down the hallway. "The floater can do that."

Elphaba looked confused. "The floater?"

"Yeah. There's always a PA on staff just in case …" I trailed off when I saw who was driving up the hallway. "Evit! Hi!"

"Hey Nessarose-za!" he said, making some strange gang sign with his hands. That made me smile. "Out partying?"

"Nope. Anti Defamation League."

"Ah." He turned to Fabala. "And … you are …?"

"I'm leaving," Elphaba said curtly. "I'll be in your room, Nessa." As she walked briskly away, Evit gave me a bewildered look.

"My sister," I explained. "Elphaba. She's a little … odd."

Evit chuckled. "I would say so!"

Anger flared up. "I wasn't talking about that! She's just … very anti social."

"Relax. Your sis could be rainbow colored and I wouldn't give a fuck. I don't have time for that."

"Well, good. 'Cause I don't tolerate people who mess with Fabala. And vice versa." We sat in awkward silence until I finally said, "Well, Fabala's probably waiting for me."

"Alright, Rose." He saluted me. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

I found myself giggling for no apparent reason. "Yeah, see you!"

When I entered my room, Elphaba smirked at me and started laughing. "Oh, Nessa!"

"What?"

"I don't pretend to be an expert at this whole romance thing, but …"

I scoffed. "Stop it, Fabala! I only met the guy a week ago!"  
She held up her hands in mock defeat. "Fine, fine. But if you do start a relationship, know that if he tries anything … remotely inappropriate, I will personally cut off his testicles and hang them in my room as a trophy."

I cringed. "Lur! Nice imagery, Fabala!"

"I try."

The next day, Fralina and I had most satisfying fight over a multitude of things such as her many hair products, my "moodiness," her loud music and singing, my putting her shower chair in my room during my shower, and other stuff. I finally said, "I'm done, Fralina. If you can find a solution for where to put our shower chairs, by all means, lay it on me. But I'm done with this conversation."

Her little blonde brain could not come up with a good retort, so she only said, "Fine!" and then stormed back into her room.

Over the next two weeks, Evit and I grew closer. We woke each other up during Rehab 199, and he showed me his secret hideout in the backyard of Mujant. One night, lying in bed, I resolved to ask him if he wanted to go to the Peach and Kidney with me, just the two of us. I would do it after class. But the next day, Doctor Dillamond's class made all thoughts of romance flee from my mind.


	5. Something Bad

**Um, hi. Remember me? Elle Dottore? Yeah, I'm back, with an extra long chapter! Yay! I've also made some progress in my Greek 101 class, and here are some original sentences that I came up with for homework the other night:**

 **Ελφαβα μεν** **φευγει την χωραν, Γλινδα δε τον βιβιον φυλαττει.** **Elphaba flees from the country, while Glinda guards the book.**

 **Η κορη** **χλωρη** **ουν κακη ου εστι.** **The green girl is therefore not wicked.**

 **Φιερο** **εστι** **γαρ** **αγαθος** **. Fiyero is indeed brave.**

 **Yeah. I hope my Greek professor enjoys that.**

 **And I hope YOU enjoy this chappie!**

Chapter 5

I really had to pee that morning. My PA was grumpy and moodified, so I wanted to get her out of my room as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that meant that she didn't take me to the bathroom. I went to breakfast alone (everyone else was still in bed), and after breakfast, the headaches started. You see, since my legs are paralyzed, I can't do the "bathroom dance" like most people can. Instead, I get headaches as a signal that I need to use to ladies' room, meaning that homework or anything else productive is near impossible.

 _No big thing, I'll get the floater._ I rolled down to the floater room to see who was on duty. My heart dropped when I saw the name posted outside the door: Dfee. No. No! I couldn't have a MAN take me to the bathroom! It completely denied the notion that disabled people have gender and sex just like everyone else. My next thought was to go to Crage Hall and have Elphaba take me, but did I really trust myself to roll all the way down there in my current state? Plus, extra time with Galinda did NOT sound appealing!

My headache worsened as I rolled back to my room. I stopped to massage it right outside my door. "You o-kay there?"

I didn't even look up to see who was asking when I answered, "I will be. I hope."

"Want me to get the floa-ter for you?"

"No!" My head snapped up. "I don't need the floater, thank you."

The girl gave spastic smirk. "O-kay. If you say so. I'm Ra-chel, by the way."

"Huh?" She had a speech defect, and the name she said was very unfamiliar.

"Ra-chel. Ra-chel Cam-a-di. I'm from Ov-vels."

"What kind of a name is Rachel?"

"It's from the Wiz-ard's world," she answered. "Giv-ing bab-ies o-ther-world-ly names is be-com-ing a trend!"

"Okay." Normally, I would have asked her more about that, but due to the fact that my head felt like it was being smashed repeatedly against a wall, I didn't. "I'm Nessarose Thropp."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course you are! You think I don't read the pa-pers?!" She suddenly turned her head. "Yo! Floa-ter! Can you fix my bra strap?"

Dfee came over. "Sure thing." And I watched in horror as he reached into Rachel's sleeve and pulled her bra strap up. "That all you need?"

"Yes, sir! Thank you!" Once Dfee was gone, Rachel looked at my shocked expression and chuckled. "Don't look so hor-ror-struck, Nes-sa! It's just a bra strap!" Her eyes widened. "You have to go to the bath-room, don't you?"

"No, I don't," I insisted. "Not when he's on duty."

"Oh, yes you do! It'll be more em-bar-ras-sing from him to change a soi-led skirt. Take it from me. Now go on. Ask him or I will."

I groaned. "Fine." I reluctantly wheeled over to the floater room. "Um, Dfee?"

"Yes?" he said, looking up from his homework.

I took a deep breath. "Ihavetogotothebathroom."

"What?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," I repeated with a sigh. "Could you take me?"

"Oh, sure!" He hopped up. "Definishly."

"Great." Rachel gave me an encouraging smile as I led Bfee to my room.

Soon, there was a MAN in my bathroom. I tried not to shudder as he awkwardly asked, "Sooo … how do we do it?"

"I'll get my footrests out of the way," I forced myself to say. "And then you support me at my shoulders while I sidestep over. And then you … pull down my skirt and I sit down."

He shrugged. "Okay." How was he okay with pulling down a girl's skirt?!

I swung my footrests out of the way and held onto the bar. He held me just where I had told him to, and I carefully made my way to the toilet. _Well, at least Fralina would probably be just as outraged if she knew there was a man in our bathroom._ I nodded at Dfee, and he pulled down my … uuuugh! This was so wrong!

But, I did my business, and soon I was back in my chair, feeling much better. "Thank you," I said to Dfee.

"Sure," he replied nonchalantly. "No big deal."

Rachel looked expectantly at me as I came back out into the hallway. "You did it?"

"I did it! I actually feel really proud of myself right now!"

"I knew you could do it!"

"Rose! What's up?" I turned and immediately grinned. Evit. In a button down shirt. He looked … _Oh, for Oz sake, Nessa!_

"I just had a guy take me to the bathroom," I said proudly.

"Oh. Good for you. Hey, do you wanna come to my room for a bit? A bunch of us are playing Risk. You could conquer Oz." He smiled persuasively, and I so wanted to say yes, but …

"I have class soon. But maybe some other time?"

He shrugged. "Sure. But, be warned, I always kick everybody's asses at Risk." He chuckled as he drove away.

I turned back to Rachel, shocked. "He didn't-…"

"Re-lax, Nes-sa," she said calmly. "I'm used to it. My C-P ac-cent does car-ry a stig-ma."

"But that's not right!" I insisted. "Just because you talk differently …"

"Oh, it's not just that." And she rolled away, leaving me bewildered.

I arrived in Doctor Dillamond's class only five minutes early, and quickly parked myself next to Elphaba. "Wow, Nessa," she said, surprised. "You're late, by your standards."

"I had to go to the bathroom," I explained. "A MAN took me to the bathroom!"

"Oookaay … and you're proud of that?"

"Very! It's a big milestone for me!"

Just then, Doctor Dillamond called the class to order. "Good morning, class," he greeted us. "Let's settle down now. I have graded your most recent essays, and I am very pleased to see some progress! Though, some of us still seem to favor form over content. Miss Glinda …"

"It's _Ga_ linda," we heard from the back of the classroom. Elphaba and I shared a here-she-goes-again look.

"Of course. Forgive me, Miss … Gllllinda." Either my eyes were deceiving me, or the doctor seemed to be enjoying making Galinda uncomfortable.

"I don't see what the problem is!" Galinda exclaimed indignantly. "All my other professors have no trouble saying my name."

That's when I think Elphaba had had enough. She stood up angrily and faced the blonde. "You know, maybe perfecting the pronunciation of your precious name is not the sole focus of Doctor Dillamond's life. Maybe he isn't like every other professor. Maybe some of us are different." _Preach, Fabala!_

"Well! It seems the artichoke is steamed!" Then Galinda and her minions started laughing at that, as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

I don't know what came over me, but suddenly I pushed my desk back and wheeled around. "Galinda, your mouth is moving, and words are coming out. This is never good. So why don't you do us all a favor, AND SHUT UP?!"

"Make me!"

"Class!" Doctor Dillamond shouted over the uproar that had ensued. "Settle down, please! Miss Elphaba has a point. Miss Nessarose … well, what you said might have come off as a tad rude, but Miss Elphaba does have a point! I am the sole Animal on the faculty here at Shiz, the token Goat. But it wasn't always like this. Oh, children, I wish you could've seen this school as it once was. An Antelope explicating a sonnet! A Snow Leopard solving an equation! A Wildebeest waxing philosophic! Don't you see what's being lost? Our dear Oz is becoming less and less …" He smiled at Elphaba, but good naturedly. "… colorful. Now, how did all of this begin? Yes, Miss Elphaba?"

"Well, from what I've read, it began with the Great Drought," Elphaba answered confidently.

"Precisely! Food grew scarce, and people became hungrier and angrier. And the question became: 'Whom can we blame?' Who can tell me what is meant by the term 'scapegoat'?"

I chuckled to myself as Fabala's hand went up again.

Doctor Dillamond sighed. "Someone besides Miss Elphaba. Ah! Miss Glinda!" I was as surprised as he was. The blonde bimbo actually knew an answer to a question?

"It's _Ga_ linda," she corrected him for the one millionth time. "And I don't see why you can't just teach us history, instead of all this talk about the past."

Elphaba and I looked at each other and could barely contain our laughter. Could anyone really be _that_ shallow?! Apparently.

Even Doctor Dillamond could not stop himself from smiling a little. "Well, perhaps these questions that I've prepared will …"

But he stopped short once he had turned over his chalkboard. I thought my eyes were deceiving me at first, but even after blinking a few times, what was written on the board did not go away: **ANIMALS SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD.** All I could do at that moment was simply stare at it in horror.

"Who is responsible for this?" Doctor Dillamond demanded. "Well? I'm waiting for an answer!" But no one dared say a word. He sighed resignedly. "Very well. That will be all for today."

For a few seconds, we didn't believe him. He was really stopping class early?

"You heard me! Class dismissed!" That time, everyone eagerly jumped up and headed out of the classroom. I started to as well, but I noticed that Elphaba was not following me. She was scrutinizing the blackboard, as if the letters would reveal who had written them.

"Outrageous, isn't it?" I said, making her jump.

"Yeah," she agreed. "'Animals should be seen and not heard …'"

"Oh, Miss Elphaba, Miss Nessarose, don't worry about me," Doctor Dillamond said dismissively. "Run along and join your friends."

"That's alright, we don't really have any friends," Elphaba assured him. "Here, would you like to share my lunch?"

"Thank you. How kind." He began to eat the paper that Elphaba's sandwich had been wrapped in (after all, he _is_ a Goat!), but then set it down after a few minutes. "I seem to have lost my appetite."

"Well, you shouldn't let ignorant statements like that get to you," I told him.

"Yeah," Elphaba agreed. "I mean, I always do, but you shouldn't."

"If only it simply were a matter of words on a chalkboard." He sat down tiredly in the front row of desks. "Oh, girls, the things one hears these days! Dreadful things!"

Elphaba sat down next to him. "What things?"

"Well, there used to be an Ox who taught here for a bit after he emigrated from Quox. We became very good friends, even once he left Shiz to go teach at Emerald College. But, I haven't heard from him in a year. He was removed from his job, and rumor has it he can't even speak anymore!"  
"What?!"

"And there was an Owl who was a unionist vicar from Munchkinland. His sermons were so engaging, he almost had me believing in the nonsense that is unionism!" Doctor Dillamond chuckled briefly. "But then, he was forbidden to preach, and now …"

"He can't talk either?" I guessed.

"Precisely, Miss Nessarose. You see, something dire is going on here, something …" But what came out of Doctor Dillamond's mouth next was something that could only be described as a … bleat. All three of us were shocked by it.

Elphaba, of course, immediately stepped into action. "Doctor Dillamond, are you alright? Can I get you a glass of water?"

"I don't know what came over me just then. But I'm fine, Miss Elphaba."

I tried to get us back on track. "So, you're saying that Animals are forgetting how to speak? How is that possible?"

"Well, with so much pressure not to, you can keep anyone silent."

My head was suddenly storming with ideas. "Well, we need to get the ADL working on this! Scrap the gender neutral bathrooms; this is more important! And-…"

"Doctor Dillamond?" We turned to see Madam Morrible coming into the room (without knocking, I might add). "I heard there was a disturberance in class! Are you alright?" But before Doctor Dillamond could respond, Madam Morrible noticed us. "Miss Nessarose? Your assistant is waiting you. And Miss Elphaba? I thought you would be on your way to my seminar by now."

"Oh, ordinarily I would be," Elphaba explained. "But …"

"But? Magic is a demanderating mistress, and if one has ambitions to meet the Wizard … Well, I'm sure Doctor Dillamond sees my point."

"Sweet Oz, she creeps me out!" I exclaimed as soon as Madam Morrible was out of earshot.

"We'd better go," Elphaba said quickly, grabbing her bag. "Doctor Dillamond, if something bad is happening to the Animals, someone's got to tell the Wizard. That's why we HAVE a Wizard, right? To keep Oz wonderful!"

"I hope you're right, Miss Elphaba. I truly hope you're right."

Elphaba had her sorcery seminar at Crage Hall, and I had to go back to Mujant for my shift, but before we had to go our separate ways, we continued talking about what had happened in history class. "Are you sure the Wizard would help, Fabala?" I asked.

"Of course he would, Nessa!" Elphaba insisted. "He's the Wonderful Wizard! He would probably be honored to help out an oppressed group!"  
"But … what if he's doing the oppressing?" I knew it was a radical thought, but I just couldn't keep it out of my head.

"No! He wouldn't do that! He just doesn't know what's going on, that's all." But I was still suspicious, and could not stop thinking about it until Rehab 199.

 **Hope you liked it!  
Thanks for reading! **

**Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	6. Marigolds

**I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! And there's some Nevit in this chapter, so yay! Do you guys like Nevit as a ship name? Please tell me!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

"Where will you be in 10 years?" Pagia asked us that day in Rehab 199. "Or 20 years? Visualizing your future is a great way to help you make your present more productive. So, get into your small groups and discuss."

There was a bit of a commotion as our small groups met up with each other. But eventually, I found Nimee, Tipod, Evit, and our mentor, Macus. "So," Macus began. "Who wants to answer Pagia's question first?"

After an awkward couple of clock ticks, Tipod spoke up. "Well, hopefully I'll have a job in the Gale Force. I can't do on the ground combat, of course, but I want to be a spy in Ev."

Macus nodded approvingly. "Cool. Evit?"

"Um … can we come back to me?"

"Sure. Who wants to go next? Nimee? Nessa?"

"You can go first," I told Nimee.

"Alright," she said. "Um … I want to be a teacher, so hopefully in ten years I'll be working at a school back up in Gilikin."

"Do you know what level you want to teach?" Macus asked her.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm leaning towards lower school."

"Very good. Nessa?"

"Well, for my father's sake, hopefully I won't be the governor of Munchkinland," I started. "But maybe I'll get a cabinet position and advise him until he does … you know."

Macus smiled. "I like it. Alright, Evit, there's no escaping it now. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"

Evit groaned. "At Five Tree Manner, my father's house, waiting for him to die, bored out of my mind." He sighed. "That's why I think this class is bullshit. That's why I think this whole university is bullshit! There's no point in me being here when I won't ever need any of this crap."

"Well, you're going to be a maurgreve, right?"  
"Yup. The Maurgreve of Woodlands. Lucky me."

"Cool. So you could take some political science courses here so you're ready to govern by the time your father … kicks the pail."

"Yeah," I agreed. "You should take Civics 101. It's a very enlightening class. And, I think … you could be even more than a maurgreve."

He shrugged. "Maybe."

After class, Evit and I went to the dining hall for dinner. "I meant what I said in class today," I told him as we started eating. "Your title doesn't have to be you."

"That's easy for you to say," Evit argued. "You're going to have actual political influence over a whole province. Me? Stamp some laws that mean nothing, host balls and dinners, marry some boring noblewoman … not much of a life."

"But you could turn it into a life," I insisted. "Look, did you hear what happened in one of Doctor Dillamond's history classes today?"

"Oh, yeah. There was some offensive graffiti on a chalkboard, right?"

"Yeah. I was there. My sister and I talked to him afterwards, and … something is happening to the Animals of Oz, and it's not good. They're losing their ability to speak somehow!"

Evit's eyes widened. "What? But … that doesn't make sense. Animals have always talked! That's just the way it is!"

"I know! So, we should do something to keep it the way it is."

"You should do something, Rose." He sighed. "I'm not cut out for that."

I put my glass down angrily and wheeled over to his side of the table. "Oh Evit, when are you going to realize that you actually are worth something?" I kissed him, shocking both of us, and then rushed back to my room, needing to process what I had just done.

The next day, my first instinct was avoid Evit as much as possible. What had I done?! Yes, we were smitten, that was clear, but I had just taken a giant leap forward! He would probably never talk to me again, and …

"Nessa?" I was going back to my room after Math 399 when his voice stopped me.

"Evit, hi!" I exclaimed, my own voice about two octaves higher than usual. "How are you?"

He shrugged. "Nine by nine. Rose …"

I quickly cut in. "Look, about last night. I'm really sorry. I just can be very impulsive sometimes, and-…"

"Relax. It's cool. I actually wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? In a non dining hall setting?"

"Sure!" I answered enthusiastically. "The Peach and Kidney?"

He nodded with a grin. "Sounds awesome. So, I'll be picking you up around eight?"

"Six, if it's alright with you. It's Fabala's night to shower me, and she likes being on time." Though there was nothing funny in that statement, I found myself giggling a little.

"Six it is, then! See you around, Rose!"

"Bye!"

"Just remember, my deal still applies," Elphaba said when I told her my news. "If he tries anything whatsoever …"

"I know, I know," I interrupted her. "You'll mutilate him. Don't I feel loved."

She grinned. "Just looking out for my little Nessie-Ness." She moved in to pinch my cheeks like an old grandmother, but I rolled away just in time, laughing.

"You're impossible, Fabala!"

That night, Evit arrived at my door at precisely six o'clock, with a bouquet of marigolds in his lap. "Wow!" he exclaimed, taking in my appearance. "So that hairband isn't always plastered to your head! Whoda thunk it?"

"Stop it!" I teased, playfully slapping his arm. "I assume those are for me?"

"Oh, yeah!" He handed them to me. "There you go. Do you like them?"

"Yes! They're beautiful!" I breathed in their scent for a clock tick, and then put them in the pouch on the side of my chair. "You know, most guys get me roses."

Evit panicked. "Would you have liked roses better?"

"No! No! I like marigolds; they remind me of spring, starting afresh. They're perfect." We shared a smile, and then made our way to the Peach and Kidney.

Getting into the Peach and Kidney proved to be tricky. The front just had steps (surprise, surprise), and the ramp in the back was locked. We ended up throwing rocks at the door until one of the cooks let us in. After a lot of demanding and incurring titles from me, the future governor of Munchkinland and the future Maurgreve of Woodlands got priority seating.

"You're good," Evit remarked as we waited for our food.

"Thank you!" I said proudly. "You don't mess with a Thropp woman."

"So I'm beginning to learn. Your sis is the same way?"

I nodded. "If not more so. Our mother was the same, the way Fabala tells it."

"You never knew her?"

"No. I didn't."

"I never knew mine either. She died giving birth to me, what with my first day being so complicated and all. You would've never thought an umbilical cord could be so dangerous! Is that what happened to your mom too?"

"Yes," I answered shortly. "Are you getting the steak? I would, but now I'm kind of paranoid that it came from a Cow!"

We ordered our food, it came, we ate, and all the while, Evit and I talked about a myriad of topics. It seemed I could not stop talking to this guy! "…So then, Fabala and I made this rock barrier around the opening of the cave, and declared that no one could come in but us. Fabala threatened to turn the other kids in our neighborhood into frogs, and I told them I would run them all over and brake their feet. We had a fine little hideout – until it caved in the next day due to rain."

Evit snickered. "Fail."

"Pretty much."

Afterwards, he led me right back to my room and kissed me goodnight. It seemed more legitimate than our first kiss, more real. Dinners became a regular thing for us, and well as study sessions out on the quad. How much studying actually got done during those times is debatable, but we had fun.

One day, about a month after our first date, Evit and I were sitting on the quad when Elphaba came towards us, fuming. She was normally very put together, but today her clothes were wrinkled, and her braid was falling apart. I turned to Evit. "I better go see what's up. And who I need to beat up."

He chuckled. "Alright, Rose. Catch ya later!" I got an automatic happy jolt down my spine as we kissed, and then made my way over to my sister.

"Alright, Fabala. Who was it this time? Was it Galinda? 'Cause if so, I will kick her a-…"

Elphaba shook her head. "It wasn't Galinda. It was a boy." She gritted her teeth. "A _boy_ thought it would be funny to nearly murder me with his cart."

 **Yes, I know you all are probably squeeing right now, but I'm ending it there! He'll be in the next chappie, I promise!**

 **Thanks for reading (and for waiting)!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	7. Brainless Princes and Local Beers

Chapter 7

Elphaba proceeded to tell me about a very rude boy who ran her over while he was sleeping in his cart. "I think he's a prince or a lord or something like that," she said. "Whatever. Anywhere, I confront him, and he says, 'Maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go'! I mean, honestly! He's now neck and neck with Galinda for Most Self Absorbed Person at Shiz."

"Sounds like it." I suddenly remembered something. "Hey, the other day, Fralina was squealing to me about some Prince Fiyero coming to Shiz. She said his reputation was scandalatious, whatever that means."

Fabala nodded in recognition. "Yup. That sounds like him. Ugh. I'm gonna go get cleaned up. With this Fiyero around, Galinda is definitely not in our room. I'll see you tonight, Nessa."

"Bye, Fabala." I went back over to Evit. "Another day, another dickhead."

"Is your sis alright?" he asked concernedly.

"Yeah," I sighed. "She just had to rant about this obnoxious idiot who mowed her down and then harassed her. I'm often on the receiving end of her rants. Oh, look." I caught sight of Galinda flirting furiously with a boy who was almost illegally handsome. "There he is, I think."

Evit looked. "They look like plastic dolls! So typical!"  
"I know!"

We watched as Galinda and Fiyero dance and talk about whatever brainless people talk about. A Munchkin boy was hovering around Galinda, obviously trying to get her attention. I was pleasantly surprised to see her actually take him aside to gently reject him, but that surprise quickly turned to horror as Galinda pointed to me. I froze.

"OF COURSE I'LL INVITE HER!" the Munchkin declared to the whole courtyard. "I'D DO ANYTHING FOR YOU, MISS GALINDA!"

As this Munchkin boy practically ran towards us, Evit and I prepared to bolt, but it was too late. "Shit," Evit mumbled under his breath. My thoughts exactly.

"Excuse me, Miss Nessarose," the boy started. "My name is Boq Wolsned, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me to Fiyero's party tonight at the Ozdust."

I gave him my sweetest smile. "Why, thank you very much for the invitation, Master Boq, but I'm afraid Master Evit and I already have plans. We're going beer hopping at every bar in Shiz. So go back to your stupid crush, and tell her that her plan to dump you off onto the 'poor, helpless cripple' failed."

He took no time at all to do just that. "MISS GALINDA! SHE DIDN'T WANT TO GO WITH ME!"

Evit gave me an impressed look. "You're good."

"I don't know what you mean," I said sarcastically. "But I do happen to be free tonight, sooo …"

"Do I want to go beer hopping with you? Hell yeah!" Ah, beer hopping! The perfect way to shed my "innocent crippled governor's daughter" image.

"It's absurd!" Elphaba exclaimed when she came that night to give me a shower. "This silly rich boy appears, and now everyone's off to worship him at this cultish social gathering. Even me."

I was surprised. "Even you?"

"Yup. Galinda dumped Boq on me, and he was so lovesick, I couldn't turn him down." She rolled her eyes. "Pray for me tonight, Nessa. I'm going to be in hell."

I scoffed. "Better you than me, sis. You know, she tried to get him to go with me first."

"No shit!"

"Yep. What a condescending bitch."

Evit and I started our alcoholic tour of Shiz at the Boar and Fennel. "I'd like some preserved Winkie beer," Evit told the bartender.

"Coming right up," the bartender said. "And perhaps some Riddle Lite for the lady?"

"Perhaps not," I said, using the same sweet tone that I had used with Boq. "I'd like maybe one of your local brands, such as Fennel's Blend."

The shocked expression on his face was hilarious. "Oookay. Yes, ma'am. I'll have that ready for you in just a clock tick."

"You love the shock factor, don't you?" Evit said with a grin.

I shrugged. "What can I say? I like being full of surprises."

Later on, the two of us were sipping our drinks, minding our own business, when I felt someone jolt me from behind. "Hey!" Evit yelled. "That's my girlfriend you just whacked! Asshole!"

I was distracted from the surprise of Evit using a certain word when I saw who had hit me. "You!" I exclaimed angrily. "Is your _mission_ to knock over everybody in sight?!"

Fiyero looked confused. "Huh?"

"Yeah! The girl you ran over today? She's my _sister_! And I don't take kindly to people who mess with my sister!" His perfectly handsome face just made me even more annoyed.

"Well, your stupid green sister should've been paying attention instead of reading some weird book." And he sauntered away before I could say anything back.

I fumed. "Obnoxious, brainless idiot!"  
"Let it go, Nessa," Evit said calmly. "He's not worth it."

We went to about five bars after that. I only ordered one drink from each, so I was only a little bit tipsy. Evit, on the other hand, was swerving into walls and singing "What We Don't Allow in the Public Halls" at the top of his lungs. I offered for him to stay in my room until his PA. This was a bit of a mistake, as he took it the wrong way. "We should do it," he said, kissing me up my neck. "Right now."

Part of me was screaming, "YES, NESSA! DO IT!" But my better judgment somehow came through. "No, Ev. We're drunk. We're not gonna remember it tonight, an' I wanna remember it."

"Good point." Still, I knew that when we did get around to going further, Evit would make it a wild ride.


	8. Lion Cubs and Tattlers

**Hello! Here's Chapter 8! And there's Fiyeraba in this chapter, so yay!  
I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Faerie Tales 4ever for nominating my OC from If/Then, Lukas, for the Greg Award for Best OC, and also to the Ultimate Queen of Cliffies for nominating The Little Witch for Best AU! You should all go to Fae's Flower's page and nominate some stuff. I mean, not necessarily ****_my_** **stuff, but … wink, wink**

 **Anyway …**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Elphaba was "busy" all weekend. She did not elaborate to me on what this meant, but I assumed she was sequestered in the library, studying, trying to be as far away from Galinda as possible. I knew I would see her on Monday morning, as we had a shift then.

Well, on Monday morning, I was still half asleep, so all I saw was a green skirt, something Fabala would _never_ wear. _She must've gotten someone else to do it,_ I thought sleepily.

"Come on, Nessa. I know you've been partying with your boyfriend all weekend, but you've got to get up for history class now." My eyes flew open. It _was_ Elphaba!

"Fabala, what happened to you?" I asked, taking in her white blouse, green skirt, and a _pink flower_ in her hair. "You look like you've been attacked by the Galinda Monster!"

She chuckled. "In a way, I kind of have. Galinda and I have been spending some time together, and you know, Nessa, she's actually pretty neat! Her boyfriend, I'm not so sure about, but Galinda is quite entertaining sometimes."

"Is that why you were 'busy' all weekend? Because you were hanging out with _Galinda_? How … how did that even happen?" My sister – friends with the most evil girl at Shiz. It just didn't seem possible.

"Well, that's kind of a long story. First, she gives me this strange hat to wear. I thought it might be a prank, but it _was_ black, and it matched my dress, and alright, I admit I kind of liked it. So, Boq and I enter the Ozdust, and everybody just freezes."

I gasped. "Fabala! You shouldn't have fallen for that!"

"I know. But anyway, Boq starts mumbling about leaving, but I say, 'No, Boq, we're not going to give them that satisfaction.' And I start tangoing with him."

At this, I nearly collapsed in her arms. "Tangoing?" Just the image of Elphaba tangoing with Boq, of all people …

"Yep." She helped me into my chair. "I think he was a bit terrified of me at first, but then, he got into it."

My brain could not even stop to comprehend this insanity. "And then what happened?"

"And then, Galinda and Fiyero started tangoing with us; Galinda basically had to pull Fiyero out onto the dance floor. Then, everyone joined in."

"And … you enjoyed it?"

"Yeah, I did."

I shook my head in disbelief as we made our way to my bathroom. "You're friends with _Galinda._ Inconceivable!" However, when we entered my bathroom, I had a very rude reminder that it was, in fact, not _my_ bathroom.

Fralina shrieked and almost fell mid transfer. "That 'in use' light is there for a reason, Nessa," she said with a big grin.

"Oh, you're turning my words against me." I turned to Elphaba. "Isn't that cleaver, Fabala? Isn't she just the epitome of wit?" I smirked. "I guess your toffie Gilikinese parents forgot to teach you that it's more polite to say, 'I'm so sorry, Nessa, I'll be out in a tick tock.'"

"Well, your midget Munchkinlander father forgot to teach YOU to knock! Especially when you have your avocado sister with you."

Elphaba moved to confront Fralina, but I held her back. _My suitemate, my problem._ I wheeled closer to Fralina. "You insult my sister again, and I'll kick your ass. Do you hear me, blondie?!" It was not until I had finished speaking that I realized that I was holding her shirt collar. I let go.

She straightened her shirt primly and retreated from the bathroom. "I'm telling Pagia on you!" she yelled. "You'll be sorry, midget!"  
"Midget!" I repeated in disbelief. "Where the hell did she get THAT from?!"

"You shouldn't have done that, Nessa," Elphaba said. "You aren't exactly Pagia's favorite person right now." She was right, of course. Pagia didn't exactly approve of my using a "non professional" for certain shifts.

"I know, but think about it this way. What if that was Galinda, you know, before her dramatic change of heart, insulting me?"

Elphaba bit her lip. We both knew what she would have done.

So, we went to history class. I was formally introduced to Galinda, and Fiyero awkwardly remarked that Fabala had been "Galindafied." Boq sat as far away from us as possible, pretending to be absorbed in his history textbook. Elphaba didn't seem to care.

Doctor Dillamond came in several minutes late, looking like the demons were on his heels. "Class, I have something to say, and very little time. Today is my last day at Shiz."

I half expected my sister to explode. "What?!"

"It is no longer permitted for me to teach."

I was about to add to Elphaba's protests when Madam Morrible strode in, accompanied by our new professor and two _soldiers._ The _army_ was being called in to remove a _teacher._ "Oh, I am terribly sorry, Doctor Dillamond!" Madam Morrible said. Fake. All fake. This was a member of her staff, and she wasn't doing _anything_ to help him!

Apparently, Elphaba was thinking the same things that I was. "Madam, you can't permit this!"

"Oh, Miss Elphaba, don't worry about me," Doctor Dillamond said. "They can take away my job, but I shall continue speaking out!"

Then, with no regard for what he was saying, the two soldiers unceremoniously ushered Doctor Dillamond out of his own classroom. "Come on, Goat!"  
"They're not telling you the whole story! Remember, class!" And that was the last we ever saw of him.

"What, are we just going to sit here?!" Elphaba exclaimed, outraged. "In silence?!"

I noticed Fabala recoiled a little as Madam Morrible put a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Elphaba, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. Take your seat now, dear."

Elphaba was reluctant, but then Galinda practically pulled her down. "Calm down, Elphie!" she hissed. Under normal circumstances, I would have cracked up at that ridiculous nickname, but at the time, there was too much stupidity in the room.

"Good morning, students!" our new professor said pompously. "I am Doctor Nikidik, and today, we will be learning about one of the Wizard's latest inventions."

"I thought this was history class, not Wizard's Greatness 101," Elphaba grumbled. I think I was the only one who heard her.

Then, Doctor Nikidik pulled out a box with bars around it. And to my horror, a little cub was locked inside; it was hard to tell if it was a lion cub or a Lion cub. The poor thing was positively shaking with fright. "This is called a cage," Doctor Nikidik explained, as if it was the greatest thing in the world. "You'll be seeing more of these in the future. One of the benefits of caging an Animal this young is that it will never, in fact, learn to speak!"

Helplessly, I looked over at Elphaba for some words of wisdom. She seemed even more horrified than I was. "Can you imagine a world where Animals are in cages?!" she breathed, looking from me to Fiyero and back. "And they can't speak?!"

I myself was still struck dumb by Doctor Nikidik, who was now poking the Cub with a needle, and Fiyero just shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"Well, someone has to do something!"  
And then it happened.

Doctor Nikidik and the other students suddenly started dancing vigorously, clearly not of their own will. Suddenly, I remembered something similar that had happened during lower school. Some little idiots were teasing me and telling me to stand up, when Fabala came over and yelled for them to shut up. One clock tick, the kids were calling us "cripple" and "greenie," the next, they were dancing the Jitterbug. I had not been affected.

I thought Elphaba's love for me protected me against her outbursts of magic, but then I looked around the room of dancing students and saw Fiyero standing in the doorway, holding the cage. "You coming?!" he yelled to Elphaba. Then they both ran from the room, not even noticing me.

"Hey!" I called after them. "Wait up!" I wheeled myself out of the classroom to find that they had already ran out of the history building.

It took me almost fifteen clock ticks to find them. I checked Crage Hall, the library, Dingleberry Commons, I even peaked inside Ozma Towers. But then, as I was passing by the observatory, I heard shouting from the woods behind it.

"…Do you think I WANT to be this way?! Do you think I WANT to care this much?! Do you realize how much EASIER my life would be if I didn't?!"

"Do you EVER let anyone else talk?!"

I chuckled to myself. Yep, that was my sister, the chatterbox. My amusement was short lived, however, as my chair suddenly sunk into some mud that I hadn't even realized was there. I shrieked, and almost immediately I heard footsteps running into the forest. "Nessa!" Elphaba exclaimed, rushing up to me. "Why did you …?" She grunted as she tried to pull my chair out of the mud. "Fiyero! Get over here! Now! This is serious!"

Fiyero came up to us, out of breath, or maybe just pretending to be. "For Oz's sake, what is it now?"

"Oh, nothing! I just called you over here because I felt like it. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS, YOU IDIOT?!"

Then he saw me glaring at him from my place in the mud. "Oh. You ladies need help?"

Elphaba nodded, her anger at least somewhat spent. "Grab her handlebars. I'll get her footrests. This has happened a billion times before, right, Nessa?"

I was about to respond when His Highness deemed his words more important than mine. "Look, Elphaba, about what I said before, I just meant to you like to … stir things up. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

Elphaba gave one final grunt as she pulled my chair into the clearing. "Well, you could've walked away."

"So?"

"So, however self-absorbed or shallow you pretend to be …" They were too busy squabbling over ridiculous crap that they didn't notice me opening the cage. The Cub leapt out and made a beeline for the forest.

"Excuse me! I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow!"

"No, you're not. Or you wouldn't be so unhappy." I knew that look from my sister. It meant that she could see right through someone's bullshit. And she could definitely see through Fiyero's bullshit. He knew it too. He gaped at her for a while before trying to escape.

"Look, if you don't want my help …"

"No, I do!" She grabbed his hand desperately, but then almost instantly remembered herself. Oh, sweet Oz! Was she …? No! Fabala didn't do that! She turned to me. " _We_ do." Her eyes moved to the empty cage. "Wait. What …?"

"I freed him," I said simply, amused by their bewildered expressions. "While you two were arguing like an old married couple, I freed him. He's safe."

"Well then, it seems you don't need my help anymore," Fiyero said curtly. "Good day, Miss Elphaba, Miss Nessarose."

"Fiyero, wait!" Elphaba called. "You're bleeding. The Cub must've scratched you." She traced her fingers along the cut on his face. I was, again, forgotten.

"Yeah. Or maybe it scratched me, or something." I tried not to laugh as they stared at each other for a full two clock ticks. Finally, Fiyero leapt up. "Well, I should check out. I-I mean, get my cut checked out, by the nurse, you know. I'm … going to the nurse now. Bye!" He ran from the clearing as fast as he could.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I let my glee show through. "Oh, Elphaba …"

"What?"

"I don't pretend to be an expert at this whole romance thing, but …"

"No, Nessa," she said grimly. "I've only known him for a few days, and he's with _Galinda,_ of all people, and I'm … I have to go. Go have lunch with Evit. I'll see you tomorrow, Nessa." An outsider would have taken her scowl for anger, but I knew she was trying hard not to cry. In high school, I had had three boyfriends: one who was with me for pity, another who turned out not to be my type, and another who didn't want me to go to Shiz. But Fabala … Fabala had _no one._ Not even a pity date. Not even a jerk who wagered that he could bed the green girl. No one.

Later, I recounted the whole miserable episode to Evit. "So, long story short, I'm treading mud everywhere, and Fabala feels awful because Fiyero's being tactless! How was your morning, Evit?"

"Not as eventful as yours, I can tell you that," Evit said with a smirk. "You know, I've heard that if enough students sign a petition, they can override the university's dismissal of a professor."

"But I don't think the university dismissed him. I think it was-…"

"Miss Nessarose!" I turned to see Pagia standing behind me, looking stern. "My office. Now." Yep. I was busted.

 **I know some of you may wonder why Nessa was in the Lion cub scene, and think that it's unrealistic for her to be there, but I always wondered why she** ** _wasn't_** **there in the musical. I mean, think about it. Elphaba's magical outburst doesn't affect the people that she loves, and of course she loves Nessa! Now, I think canon Nessa would be utterly humiliated, and would make herself scarce, but I think my version of Nessa actually cares enough about her sister to try and find her.**

 **Thanks for reading!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	9. Dorm Problems

**Hello! Here's Chapter IX! Sorry for the delay, but I've been SUPER busy! College ain't easy.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

Damn Fralina! I was hoping her threat from the morning had been as empty as her head, but nope. In all her evilness, she had used Pagia's dislike of me to her advantage. Little twit. I was happy that Elphaba had found a friend in Galinda, but I didn't think I could EVER become friends with Fralina!

And there she was, in Pagia's office, with a smug smile on her face, like she knew she had beat me. "So, Miss Nessarose," Pagia started, sitting down. "Miss Fralina tells me that you threatened her."

"She called my sister an avocado!" I protested.

"She grabbed my blouse!" Fralina whined, "which now has to be ironed, thank you very much."

"Oh, boo hoo, your precious blouse is wrinkled! My sister gets tormented every day of her life!"

"Girls!" Pagia cut in. "Let's resolve this conflict reasonably. You know I believe that Mujant should a proper community. And Miss Nessarose, your actions today were damaging to that community. You're going to be governor of Munchkinland on day! How are you going to negotiate with Gilikin or the Vinkus then if you can't negotiate with your suitemate now?"

I turned angrily towards Pagia. "Disagreements over where our shower chairs go, I can deal with. I can even deal with her singing at the top of her lungs while I'm trying to get my homework done. But I cannot deal with her, or anyone, making life harder for my sister."

Pagia sighed. "Yes, Miss Fralina, it was wrong of you to insult Miss Nessarose's sister. But, Miss Nessarose, you threatened Miss Fralina with physical violence. I'm afraid I will have to report this to Madam Morrible. It might go on your permanent record."

"What?! My sister-…"

"Miss Elphaba should not even be in this dormitory. It's time you got real PAs to fill those shifts."

"Are we here to talk about my cruel actions towards my suitemate, or my incompetence at getting shifts filled?"

"Don't get snarky with me."

I gave her my innocent-crippled-governor's-daughter look. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't mean snarkiness. I'm merely trying to ascertain why you have called me in here, that's all."

"Numerous reasons." She turned to Fralina. "Miss Fralina, you may go. I need to have a private conversation with Miss Nessarose."

"Of course, Pagia," my suitemate said with a sickeningly sweet smile. "I wouldn't want to invade your privacy." She gave me a triumphant grin as she left.

"Miss Nessarose, I was very impressed with your application to Reckbith," Pagia began. "Your essay was exceptional, and you seemed to be a good candidate. So Sazenne, Casedoa, and I were unanimous in accepting you. But, since you've been here, your standards have declined. A floater reported one night that you and Master Evit came into the hall quite intoxicated. Have you taken the time to get to know other residents besides Master Evit?"

"Well-…"

"I didn't think so. And furthermore, you seem to have no concern that you have five open PA shifts!"

"They're not open!" I insisted. "Elphaba agreed to fill them. In fact, you wanna know the reason our father even let Elphaba come to Shiz?! To fill those shifts for me! If I got somebody else to fill those shifts, Father would not hesitate to come right back up here, and take Elphaba home, destroying her dreams, her future, her everything! Do you know what it's like to have your entire life depending on five PA shifts, Pagia? Neither do I! I can't even imagine it!" I was very aware of the possibility of her kicking me out right there and then, but I had to spend some of my anger.

Throughout my tirade, Pagia stayed amazingly calm. After I was done, she said, "I'm sorry your father disrespects your sister's wishes to that extent. Between you and me, that's not very tolerant of him. But rules are rules. Miss Elphaba is not an employee of the Reckbith program, and therefore cannot be a PA. You have until Lurlinemas to get those shifts filled. Is that clear?"

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Good. You may go."

Evit was waiting for me in the Reckbith hall. "Nice to see that Pagia hasn't killed you," he said with a grin. "What'd she bust you for?"

I huffed. "Well, you remember I told you about Fralina harassing Fabala."

"Very vividly."

"Well, apparently Fralina went and whined to Pagia about me threatening her. So now, I'm in trouble with Pagia even though Little Miss Blonde Perfectness is the one who called Fabala an Ozdamned avocado!"

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah. Pagia and her 'united community' bullshit."

"Yeah, and what's worse is that she says Fabala can't be my PA anymore, even she's totally qualified!" I sighed. "I'm ranting. I'm sorry. I've been ranting all day."

"It's cool. You have every right to rant after what happened today." He grinned sideways. "Will 'studying' with me make you feel better?"

I smirked. "It just might."

Elphaba was pretty calm when I told her about my little chat with Pagia. And I would have been able to tell if she was just putting on a happy face like she sometimes does. "Pagia wouldn't touch me," she said cryptically. "Because, as Galinda constantly reminds me, it's good to have connections." She gave no further explanation than that. Well then.

A few weeks later, Evit and I decided to have a picnic on the bank of Suicide Canal, which is actually really pretty despite its depressing name. We spread the picnic blanket over our legs, and had a good time of it. "So, I've been job hunting," Evit told me as we started eating.

"Ev, that's great!" I exclaimed. "Any luck?"

He shook his head. "Nah. They either don't want to hire me because I'm crippled or because I'm the son of a maurgreve."

"But still, it's good you're trying. And, if you ever need any references, I'm sure the daughter of the governor of Munchkinland will be able to say what a hard worker you are." We laughed together, and even though we had been together for a while now, I still felt giddy.

"Nessa!" someone shrieked. We turned to see Galinda running up to us. "There you are! I hate to pry you away from your gorgeousickle man there." She grinned at Evit. "But Elphie just got the most amazifying news!"

 **There you go!  
Thanks for reading!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	10. Good News and Ice Skating

**Voila! I have Chapter 10!**

 **But first, I'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to everybody who nominated and voted for me during the Greg Awards! Am I disappointed that I didn't win? Of course I am. But it was an honor to be nominated, and the authors who did win really deserved it.**

 **Also, I'm sorry for the slow updates. I'm not good at writing Shiz era fics, so this story will get a lot better once Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. I promise.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

"What?" I asked. "What news?"

"Oooo!" Galinda squealed. "I wish I could tell you, but Elphie told me not to, because she wants to tell everyone at the Peach and Kidney. Come on!" She started pushing me, but I firmly grabbed my wheels.

"I'm being socially arrested," I informed Evit with a groan. "Actually, would you like to come along? It could be a continuation of this date, and I know you like the Peach and Kidney."

"Um, are you sure your sister wouldn't kill me?" Evit asked skeptically. "Doesn't she kind of hate me?"

"She doesn't _adore_ you," I admitted. "But I'm sure her 'amazifying news' put her in a good mood. Your balls are safe."

"My what?!"

I laughed. "Never mind. Point is, I doubt she'll even notice you."

"If you say so, Rose."

When we arrived at the Peach and Kidney, Elphaba jumped up and ushered us over to a table where Fiyero and Boq were sitting, immersed in a discussion about some comic book hero. "Nessa!" she said happily. "So glad you could make it!" Then she noticed my very uncomfortable looking boyfriend. "Oh. Good day, Master Evit."

He smiled. "Hello, Miss Elphaba. I'm so honored to be here for your big news."

"You weren't invited," she mumbled.

"Fabala," I warned.

She sighed. "Fine, fine. He can stay. Just try to keep your hands to yourselves." Evit and I shared a grin as we pulled up to the table.

We all ordered our food, and then Galinda said, "Alright, Elphie. Why don't you tell everyone?"

"Well, I was taking a walk in the woods today when Madam Morrible somehow found me," Fabala began. "And she told me that she had just heard back from the Wizard. He wants to meet me."

Our table practically exploded. Galinda was squealing (even though I'm guessing she already knew Elphaba's news), Boq was congratulating my sister in numerous languages, Fiyero was hugging Elphaba with all his strength, and I couldn't help but squeal a little bit.

Galinda raised her glass. "To Elphaba Melena Thropp, the soon to be Grand Vizier of Oz!"

"Here, here!"

"Oh, Fabala!" I exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you! And even though Father probably won't be proud, I'll make him act like it!"

Elphaba smiled. "That's okay. No need to force him to be someone he's not."

"But you could totally get back at him," Fiyero slurred, already a little bit drunk. "Like, when you're the Vizier, you could, like, make him pay tariffs or something, or give him the uncomfortablest chair at meetings in the EC!"

"'Uncomfortablest' is not a word," Elphaba told him. "Galinda is really rubbing off on you. And I'm surprised you even know what tariffs are."

"Of course I know what tariffs are! I'm a prince!"

Evit leaned into me. "I'm not in the loop, so tell me this: are those two an item?"

"Who?" I asked quietly.

"Your sister and that prince guy."

"Lurline, no! Fiyero and Galinda are together!" I lowered my voice again. "But between you and me, I think Elphaba and Fiyero would do pretty well together. Don't you think?"

Evit shrugged. "Maybe."

 _Dear Father,_

 _I've been thinking, and I've finally decided what I want for Lurlinemus this year. I want you to let Fabala go to the Emerald City. I want her to be an awesome Grand Vizier, and I want you to hire a personal assistant for me when I graduate from Shiz._

 _Love,_

 _Nessa_

"How do you think he'll take it?" Evit asked as we headed back to Mujant from the post office.

"I'm his darling little Nessie," I said nonchalantly. "He'd do anything for me."

Evit grinned and shook his head in disbelief. "Wow. Honestly, Rose, you could smile and bat your eyes at the Wizard and he would let you make Munchkinland a free state."  
I scoffed. "Oh, please! I'm no Galinda."

By this time, we were in our hallway at Mujant. "Yo, Nessa, Evit!" Macus called, coming over to us. "A bunch of us are going to the Ozdust Skating Rink. Wanna come?"

"The Ozdust has a skating rink?" Evit asked, surprised.

"Of course it does! Right off the ballroom! It's tons of fun." Typical Macus, always making everything sound like the greatest thing in the world.

Evit got that spontaneous look in his eyes. "I say we go! You in, Rose?"

I nodded. "Sure."

The Ozdust was everything that Elphaba and Galinda had said it was. Lights everywhere, music blaring, but despite that, a general atmosphere of fun. Most of our Reckbith compatriots were on the ice, a practice in disability culture that I of course knew of, but thought brainless to partake in. Evit had different views on the matter. "Evit Sunnel, if you think I am putting one wheel on that ice, then you've got another thing coming!"

"Aw, Rose, be a sport!" And that bastard drove his chair out onto the ice, pulling me along with him.

I screamed. "Evit! You're crazy!"

"You're doing fine!" In truth, I was just about the happiest that I had ever been. I was ice skating! Father would have had a heart attack, Elphaba would have probably been so worked up that the ice would have shattered or melted, but I didn't care. On the ice, I wasn't Governor Thropp's poor, crippled daughter or Elphaba's "broken doll of a baby sister" (as I had once heard Galinda describe me back when she was evil). I was just … Nessa.

"Hey, Nes-sa!" a familiar voice called out to me.

"Hey, Rachel!" I said happily, going over to her. "How's it going?"

"Great! I hear you're hav-ing trou-ble find-ing P-As."

I nodded. "Yeah. Especially with my sister leaving for the EC soon."

"I may have a sol-u-tion."

Immediately, I perked up. "Lay it on me!"

"A-ver-ic, the Maur-greve of Ten-mead-ows was my P-A last sem-es-ter. He's a lit-tle ar-ro-gant, but he does his job well."

I smiled in gratitude. "Alright. Thank you. I'll look him up." A little arrogant but does his job well was good enough for me, at least until Elphaba's return from the Emerald City.

 **And that is that! Once again, thanks for your nominations and votes, and thanks for reading this story!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	11. Preparations

**Hello! Happy Epiphany, if you celebrate that!**

 **Just a warning: this chapter might be kind of a boring filler chapter, but there is a HUGE CLIFFIE at the end.**

 **Also, I just listened to the soundtrack of Hamilton, and now I REALLY want to see the musical. There's a Hamilton reference in this chapter. See if you can find it.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

"Averic of Tenmeadows? That's who you're hiring?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not? Rachel recommended him."

"Nessa, think Fiyero times a million!" Fabala exclaimed, throwing two black frocks into her suitcase. "I know Averic, and he's a smug boor. You know, he once threw me into Suicide Canal to see if I would melt. He won't be reliable."

"You never told me about that!" I said, a little surprised. "Did you at least tell Madam Morrible?"

She nodded. "I did. She was so furious that she gave Averic five weekend detentions. That was kind of nice."

"It must be nice to have Morrible on your side," I grumbled. "You're a magical prodigy, while I'm just a spoiled, bratty rich girl. I'm sure Pagia's told her how difficult I am."

Elphaba knelt down by my chair, in a way that I found condescending when other people did it, but not with Fabala. "Hey. You're _not_ a bratty rich girl. Okay, yes, we're rich, but you're not a brat, Nessa. Look, I know it's been a little crazy this past week, with my upcoming departure and all, but you are going to be every bit as good a politician as I'm going to be. Maybe even more so. After all, which one of us is going to be governor one day?"

"Only because Father-…"

"I don't want to be governor anyway. I care nothing for those little people, and I doubt they care much for me either. In a way, Father made the right decision. The Munchkins wouldn't accept me." She grinned. "But the Wizard will!"

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "I'm happy for you, Fabala. And seriously, don't worry about me and Averic. I'm sure we'll get along fine."

Later that day, I entered Ozma Towers with a (reluctantly) signed note from Pagia saying that I was in the boys' dormitory for sanctioned reasons, not to do the hokey pokey. The dorm chaperone seemed to accept that. And two clock ticks later, I was outside Room 62, the room Rachel had said Averic lived in. So you can imagine how surprised I was when Fiyero answered the door. "Oh, hey Nessa!" he said happily. "Does Fae need my help packing?"

"Fae?" I repeated, confused.

He blushed, which made me almost giggle. "Elphaba, I mean. Did she send you to come get my help?"

 _How in Oz did he get "Fae" out of "Elphaba"?_ "No, I'm actually here to see Averic. I have a proposition for him."

He looked shocked. "You're actually here to see … Okay! Whatever! Yo! AV! WAKE UP! A LADY'S HERE TO SEE YOU! Come in, Nessa."

Their room looked like a cyclone had hit it, pretty much what I expected. Both beds were nowhere close to being made, half eaten sweets were scattered all over, pictures of scantily clad women dotted the walls … and a Gilikinese boy was sprawled out on one of the beds. He grinned at me. "Hey, princess," he said. "You got a job for me?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied. "You've worked for Rachel Camadi before, right? She recommended you."

"Aw, yeah, Rachel! She was the best!" He sat up. "What shifts do you need, little Miss Thropp?"

I cleared my throat. "Monday 7:30 AM, Tuesday 12:30 PM, Wednesday 5:30 PM, Thursday 7:30 AM, and Friday 8 PM. Can you do any of that?"

He scoffed. "No weekend shifts? Sure! Consider me on your list!"

The next day, Elphaba and Galinda left for the Emerald City. Evit and I saw them off. See, Galinda wasn't originally going to be going, but she was feeling sad that Fiyero was apparently thinking (the horror!), and my sister took pity on her and gave her her extra ticket. Then, Fiyero actually came, with a bouquet of poppies for Fabala. The romantic side of me was silently squealing over how cute they would be together.

Finally, it was time for the final goodbye. "Remember, Nessa," Elphaba said, leaning on my armrests. "If you need anything at all, just write me, and I'll come right back to Shiz as soon as possible."

"Oh, stop worrying!" I told her. "This is _your_ big adventure! Enjoy it!"

"We will!" Galinda said enthusiastically. "Come on, Elphie! We're going to miss the train!" And off they went to see the Wizard.

So, Averic became my PA. It really showed how much I had grown since starting at Shiz that I was allowing a man to dress me, undress me, and take me to the bathroom. He didn't shower me (I wasn't quite ready for that idea), but he performed his other tasks with a dedication that he obviously didn't show his schoolwork. Fine by me.

On the first full day after Elphaba and Glinda's absence (apparently she was calling herself Glinda now out of solidarity with Doctor Dillamond, whatever), I received a postcard from them, along with a picture of them posing next to a statue of Ozma the Great. They both looked like they were having the time of their lives. I was only a tiny bit jealous. After all, I was going to have to go to the Emerald City as governor for the annual Quadrant Meetings between the governor of Munchkinland, the governor of Quadling Country, the Lord or Lady of Gilikin, and the King or Queen of the Vinkus. I could wait.

The next day, I heard nothing from the EC. Well, today Fabala was set to meet the Wizard, so she probably had a lot on her mind. It was Tuesday, my easy day, so I went to my math class and then ate Ixaan food in my room. After that, I contemplated getting a head start on my math homework, but the lazy part of me won out. It wasn't due until Friday, after all. I hoped Elphaba was doing alright with the Wizard. I knew he would give my big sister the respect she deserved.

At about three that day, someone knocked on my door. "Who is it?" I called.

"It's Evit," a voice replied. "Kind of an emergency."

"Coming!" Emergency? Was Evit alright?

When I opened the door, Evit, normally a pretty calm person, looked about ready to have a nervous breakdown. Now I was really worried. "Rose … I'm so sorry … your sister … the paper … look!"

He dropped _The Emerald City Times_ into my lap, and my mouth fell open at what I saw. My beautiful, sweet sister Fabala, her face edited to look more menacing, under a giant headline: "WICKED WITCH LOOSE IN OZ: NO ONE IS SAFE."

 **Yeah. The next chapter will have A LOT of angst. Be prepared.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	12. Epiphanies

Chapter 12

I couldn't speak, I couldn't look up at Evit; all I could do was stare dumbly at that newspaper. I tried to read the article:

 _A meeting between our Wonderful Wizard and sorcery pupil Glinda Upland was rudely interrupted today when a Wicked Witch attacked the Palace. According to Press Secretary Delva Morrible, the Witch severely mutilated some pet monkeys of the Wizard's, and threatened His Ozness himself. The Secretary also notes that the Witch has green skin, a clear sign of a twisted nature. Miss Upland has refused to speak to the press about her stressifying encounter with the Witch, and is headed back to Shiz University today, where she …_

"No," was all I could say. "'Wicked Witch'? Fabala's not … Fabala would never!"

Evit put a hand on my shoulder. "Of course she wouldn't. I just can't believe the paper would make something like this up! I mean, your sister isn't the most pleasant person in Oz, but hurting cute little monkeys …"

"She was probably trying to help them. Knowing her." Suddenly, my shock turned to anger. "This is bullshit! First of all, the Wizard wanted to see Elphaba, not Glinda! Second, why would Fabala ever attack …? This makes no sense!"

"Maybe she snapped or something," Evit suggested. "She was so into this trip and magic and stuff that maybe that turned her into this … wicked witch."

I glared at him. "Magic doesn't do that to people. I know that much. And she's not a motherfucking wicked witch!"

Evit was taken aback; he had heard me use the s word many times, but never the f word. "Sorry. Want me to have the floater make you some hot cocoa?"

"No. I … I need to go talk to Glinda. Maybe later, though."

"Alright."

For some reason, Crage Hall seemed darker than usual, more ominous. Room 23 was still labeled "Elphaba Thropp and Galinda Upland," as if nothing had happened. I knocked on the door, and again was surprised to see Fiyero open it. "Hey Nessa," he said. "I'm sorry, but Glinda isn't really up to seeing anyone right now."

"To be honest, Fiyero, I don't give a monkey's ass," I said. "I need to know what happened to my sister."

A timid voice came from inside the room. "Fiyero, let Nessa in, please."

Fiyero backed away from the door without a word. When I entered the room, I gasped to see Shiz's queen of glamour and fashion sitting on the side of her bed, makeup streaming down her face.

"Oh, Nessa!" she exclaimed. "It was dreadful! I should've gone with her, she wanted me to go with her, but I didn't! I'm such a coward!" And then more sobs. I didn't have time for that.

"Pull yourself together!" I snapped. "You're not doing anyone any good by carrying on like that! I need to know why the hell Fabala got a glamorous picture on the front page news! 'Wicked witch,' they called her! It freaked me out! You wanna help Elphaba; you better start by giving me some damn explanations!"

Glinda sniffed and wiped her eyes with her hand. "They … they had her do this spell, it was a levitation spell, on these monkeys. She didn't mean to do anything wrong, she didn't know it was going to hurt them, but she got really angry, and then the Wizard got angry, and then she did the same hideous levitation spell on a broomstick. She escaped before they could get her. She was so brave, and I couldn't be …"

I ignored Glinda's returning the conversation to herself. "So, where is she now? Did she tell you where she was going to go?"

"No! She didn't! I have no idea where she is!"

"Well, that helps me a lot," I mumbled sarcastically.

"Nessa, cut her some slack," Fiyero cut in. "Elphaba's her best friend …"

"Yeah well, she's _my_ sister! She'll probably be slaughtered by the Ozdamned Gale Force if she's not careful. And she won't be careful."

That night, I stayed up criminally late. I didn't do anything corny like sob hysterically or destroy my own belongings in anger; I just sat and thought about poor Fabala. That afternoon, Fralina had said to me, "Heard about your sister today! Guess she really is bonkers!" The urge to punch her face in had been quite strong. If murder wasn't a crime …

Suddenly, I heard someone tapping on my window. At first, I chocked it up to my overactive imagination, but then the tapping grew more frantic. I wheeled over to the window and pulled back the drapes, not at all surprised to see my sister's emerald face on the other side of the glass. Given the current circumstances, who else would it have been? I threw open the window. "Fabala! What happened? Where have you been? What-…"

"Shh, Nessa!" Elphaba said, coming inside. "No one can know I'm here!"

"Why?!" I demanded. "What did you do?!"

Fabala sighed and sat down on my bed. I noticed that Glinda, in all her blubbery incompetence, had been right about one thing: Fabala _was_ carrying a broomstick that looked like it had been made during the rule of Ozma the Scarcely Beloved. "It's not so much what _I_ did, well, it is what I did, but the Wizard – I just couldn't join that monster! He tricked me into putting wings on some Monkeys; Nessa, you should've seen them! They were in so much pain!"

I'm not proud of it, but I was so tired of just hearing fragments of a story that I slapped my sister in the face. "Elphaba! Sweet Oz! Did you and Glinda take some drug in the EC that impairs your ability to get to the point?! Why is everybody suddenly scared shitless of you?!"

"Basically, he framed me for 'mutilating' those Monkeys because I refused to work for him. But I can't work for him! What Doctor Dillamond told us, that's all the Wizard's fault! He's behind it! And, Nessa, Nessa, do you know why he needed me? You know, as his 'Magic Grand Vizier'? He has no power! None! Can you believe that?"

 _Wizard of Oz … not real wizard … Fabala … wicked witch … framed._ "Um … yeah. I mean, you were there, I wasn't." The gravity of this suddenly sunk in. "Then you shouldn't be here! If somebody sees you …"

"I know! But … I need my winter dress. The one I made in Home Ec class, remember? I don't mean to sound like Glinda, but this dress is not suitable for my new … career."

"Soooo … you need help breaking into Crage Hall?"

She gave one nod. "Yeah. I need you to go in there for me. If Glinda wakes up and sees you, you can just tell her that you really miss your dear older sister and that you need the dress for sentimental purposes. But if she sees me … I don't want to think about it." It was a crazy, thriller book type mission, but Elphaba obviously regretted leaving Glinda, so this _was_ really happening, and she was counting on me.

I sighed. "Alright. Let's do this."

So, we moved as quickly as we could across campus. Throughout the trip, Elphaba was muttering, "No, we're not flying on you. For one thing, Nessa can't fly …"

"Are you … actually talking to that thing?"

She held the broomstick protectively. "Yes. Why?"

"It's … a broomstick." When I said this, I was shocked to see the broom practically jump out of Fabala's hands.

"I know. But once I enchanted him, he seemed to … get his own little personality." She grinned at it. "Yeah. I like him."

 _So my sister has now gone from being Miss Anti-Social to making friends with a broomstick._ "You know, I really should've tried a lot harder to convince Father to get you a stuffed animal."

The hallway in Crage Hall was pitch black except for the lights above each doorway. There was no light coming out of Room 23. Elphaba got her key out of her satchel. "Hopefully Morrible hasn't already changed the lock on me. Here."

Luckily, Madam Morrible hadn't. I turned the key in the lock as quietly as I could. Glinda was snoring a bit louder than one might expect a girl of her size. But, she _was_ fast asleep. I rolled into the room and over to Elphaba's closet, the one that was not practically stuffed with clothes. I immediately recognized the dress that Fabala had worked on her entire senior year of high school. It was very heavy, perfect for cold weather, but it was gorgeous too, like a black wedding gown. As I made my exit, Glinda stirred, but thankfully didn't wake up. "This the one?"

Elphaba nodded. "Yeah. Thank you so much-…"

"Sentimental goodbyes outside. If someone sees us …"

"Right."

We stopped under the awning of Crage Hall, at least somewhat concealed. "Be careful, Fabala," I told her. "I think you're very brave doing this, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you." A sudden idea came to me. "And, as soon as I'm governor, I'll make Munchkinland a safe haven for you."

"But, Nessa, that's sedition. You could be-…"

"I don't care."

She smiled. "Alright. Do well in school for me, okay? And tell Father … I don't know. Tell Father I went insane. He'd believe that." And after giving me a quick kiss on the check, she took off into the sky.


	13. Moving On

**Hello! Here's Chapter 13! Just a warning: this chapter is a high T due to some Nevit action.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

The next morning, I was in a good mood. After all, it was Pancake Day in the cafeteria. Then, the memories of the previous day suddenly hit me like a shockwave. My PA, Gawnette, was awkward and overly cheerful as she helped me get ready for the day. I went to Doctor Nikidik's class, but I didn't listen to a word he said. All lies. All jabs at what my sister was risking her life to do. It made me sick. But interestingly, even though Glinda was obviously in the same emotional state as I was, I noticed that Fiyero was taking notes. Yeah. Actually paying attention to the teacher and taking copious notes. I smiled a little bit, thinking how proud Elphaba would have been.

After Ozian History, I went back to Mujant, and I was on my way to see if Evit wanted to have a lunch date, when I was stopped by Pagia. "Miss Nessarose? Would you mind coming into my office for a bit?"

I tried to suppress a groan. "Not at all."

Her grin made me want to throw up again. "Great! Come on in!" She sat down in her office chair and folded her hands. "I know you must be feeling so awful right now, with your sister's recent … antics."

I nodded curtly. "It's definitely a loss for me."

"I can imagine. Miss Nessarose, you should know that Mujant Hall is funded by the EC, and therefore the Wizard, so I should warn you that any plans that you might have to support your sister would not be tolerated. I'm afraid we would have to send you home. Not to mention the criminal charges that might be brought against you."

I grimaced, and forced myself to say, "No worries, Pagia. I don't condone my sister's actions whatsoever. She is a fugitive, and I am a future unelected official. That should tell you all you need to know."

"Good. Everything working out with Averic?"

"Yes, he's surprisingly reliable."

"That's good. You may go."

"Thank you." _Well, that was the most pointless conversation I've ever had._

I knocked on the door of Room 1008. "One tick tock!" I heard Evit call from inside. I heard Evit's chair whir closer to the door, and then it opened. "Hey Nessa! You wanna go to lunch?"

"I'm not hungry," I said, wheeling into his room. "I just talked to Pagia."

Evit closed the door. "That _would_ put someone off their lunch. What did she say?"

And then the ball finally dropped. I started sobbing, barely registering Evit coming beside me and putting his arm around me. "She told me not to support Fabala! The day after all this happened! She was pretending to be all understanding, but she's not! She's not! She's insensitive, and heartless, and …" My sobs shook both our bodies.

He rubbed my back. "I know, I know. That was the last thing you needed today. I'm sorry."

"I miss her."

"I know. I bet she misses you too." Somehow, his lips found mine, and we started kissing more passionately than we ever had before. Maybe it was just because I was such a mess, but I didn't care at that moment. My arms pushed against my armrests of their own accord, and I lifted myself out of my chair and into his. He broke away from me, speaking breathlessly. "We could stop now, or …"

"No," I insisted. "No stopping. Stopping is bad." I started undoing the buttons on his oxford shirt, reviling in seeing his perfectly smooth chest. I massaged it, and he let out a deep guttural sound, which I took as a good sign. Then, I had two clock ticks to wonder where my skirt had gone before I suddenly was in heaven.

I had to go to the floater office in one of Evit's towels afterwards, but it was totally worth it.

After that, I still had two and a half more years at Shiz left. I met Evit's father, who was delighted at the prospect of Evit marrying the daughter of the governor of Munchkinland. I didn't like him. Glinda became the student body president, and gave an agonizingly long speech at our graduation. Father was humiliated by what Elphaba had done, of course, and her name became a curse word in our house.

And Fabala? I heard nothing from her, except for a mysterious box of chocolates left on my windowsill when I made the dean's list. "Nessa, congratulations. From: E.M.T." Who else would it have been? Of course, all of Oz heard about her enslaving some Vinkuns, and burning down a Quadling village, and her extra eye that apparently never sleeps. Quite a career.

Once I graduated, Father started teaching me all about being governor: most importantly, dealing with Munchkinland's stubborn-ass senate. See, despite his aversion to odd skin colors, Father is actually a pretty progressive politician. Unfortunately, Munchkinland's senators are _not_. This one man, Aldor Bronzeman, actually believes that we should ban Evian immigrants from entering Munchkinland, because, and I quote, "They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, and they're rapists." Most of my dinner chats with Father began with, "You will never believe what Bronzeman said today."

Evit and I stayed in contact, of course. He told me about all the boring balls he had to attend, and all the boring women he had to dance with. He also hinted that he was job searching, but he never gave me any specifics. I was glad that he was trying, though.

One day, about six months after I had graduated from Shiz, I was sitting in my room, looking over a water tax that Father was trying to get passed. Suddenly, my chief maid, Freidia, rushed in. "Madam! Come quickly! His Governorship … His Governorship has collapsed!"

 **And … that's a good stopping point!**

 **Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!**

 **Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	14. Meet Munchkinland's New Governor

Chapter 14

Immediately panicking, I turned sharply away from my desk – my version of jumping up out of my seat. "What happened? Is he alright? Have you called the doctor?"

"W-we were waiting for your approval, madam," Freidia said nervously. "We laid him in his chamber. He seems to have suffered a stroke."

"THEN CALL THE DOCTOR, FOR OZ'S SAKE!" Without waiting for her response, I rushed to Father's room as fast as my arms could propel me. No. Father wasn't going to die. He _couldn't_ die. Not yet, anyway. I found Father lying on his bed, pale as a sheet, with servants around him, cooling his head. "Father!" I grabbed his hand.

He smiled a little. "Nessa … my sweet, precious little Nessie."

"You're going to be fine," I assured him firmly. "I've sent for the doctor. Everything's going to be alright."

"Your sister … your sister always had the brains, but you … have diplomatic skill. That's why you should be governor."

"Not yet. Please, Father, not yet! I'm not ready! I need you!" I barely realized that I was getting close to hysterics now.

He reached up to stroke my hair. "Darling little Nessie … you have your mother's eyes. You know that? And her hair – though she always kept it much longer than yours. But look. That's my nose, and my chin." He smiled softly at me. "You're beautiful, Nessa." He closed his eyes, and I started to panic.

"Father!" Much to my relief, his eyes opened again. "Father, why didn't you get Fabala anything when we started school? Why … why couldn't you love her?"

He sighed. "She wasn't mine to love." Father furrowed his eyebrows and grew pensive. "And, underneath all that … distortion, was the very picture of Melena. I couldn't stand it." He looked me in the eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Nessa."

Suddenly, Doctor Marckull came in. "I came as quick as I could, Governor Thropp." He turned to me. "Miss Thropp, if you could …"

"Oh, of course," I said, rolling away. "I'll give you some space."

For what seemed like an eternity, I paced the floor in my room. I couldn't even think about the water bill, or my possible impending governorship, or even what sort of danger Elphaba might have been in at that moment. Father had many faults, but he was a _good man,_ and a good father, at least to me. I even remembered a time when Fabala was six and I was four, and I was whining about how the ice cream cone I had gotten at Munchkin Wonderland didn't have enough sprinkles. Father got me another cone, of course, but then he let Elphaba eat the one I had so indignantly rejected.

Freidia came back into my room around five in the evening. "Madam, your father wishes to see you."

I forced a smile of thanks. "Of course. I'll be right in." She gave me a sympathetic look as I passed her.

Father was paler than ever when I came back into his room. _No. This is not happening._ "Nessa … Nessa, come here, my pet."

I pulled up to his bed and turned to Doctor Marckull. "Well?"

"I've done all I can," he said softly. I knew what that was doctor code for. I swallowed back tears.

"Very well. Thank you." Then, in a new, commanding voice that I had never heard from myself, "Leave us! All of you!" They all obeyed me without a word, which scared the hell out of me.

Father could see how close I was to crying. "Nessa …" he said. "Nessa, listen to me, sweetie. You are the most amazing young woman in Oz! You hear me? You are going to do great things as governor. Great things … so proud …" His grip on my hand slackened and his eyes closed.

"Father? No! Father!"

That's when the waterworks started. I sobbed harder than I had the day after Fabala had left. I was barely twenty one, my father was dead, my sister could die any day, and now I was expected to lead a province. Part of me, through immense grief, realized that this could be a good thing. I could lead Munchkinland through revolution, into independence! _Oz, that's a_ wicked _thing to think!_

I left the room and masked my grief in logistics. "Take my father's body to the coroner," I told the staff, _my_ staff. "Tell them I want him dressed in his best suit and buried next to my mother. And meet the new governor of Munchkinland." Another wave of terror came over me as they all bowed to me.

The next morning, I was eating breakfast by myself, or rather just stirring my cereal around, when our (now, _my_ ) butler came in. "Announcing Master Evit Sunnel and Miss Rachel Camadi."

Evit immediately pulled up to my side. "I came as soon as I heard. How are you, Rose? Stupid question, of course you're not alright."

"I was giv-ing a speech near Five Tree Man-or," Rachel explained. "That's how Ev-it and I found out to-get-her. What can we do, Nes-sa?"

"Just … distract me," I said. "Evit, has your father forced you to dance with any more girls? Rachel, you said you were giving a speech? What was it on? Please, tell me." So Evit told me about his father's not so subtle hints about marriage, and Rachel told me about her campaign to get better communication devices for nonverbal Ozians. That made me feel just the tiniest bit better.

The funeral … oh Oz, the funeral was like slowly peeling a bandage off. Glinda came, telling me how sorry she was about Father, and then how sorry she was that Fiyero couldn't come, which turned into a long tangent about Fiyero's new job in the Gale Force. "See, he doesn't want to _capture_ Elphie, of course not!" she said with a giggle. "He just wants to _find_ her! For me! Isn't that so sweet?"

"Yeah," I said absentmindedly. "That's very clever of him." _And you are completely insensitive to the fact that my father died two days ago!_

I, of course, was obligated to give a eulogy. "Frexspar Thropp was not only my father, but also one of my best friends," I began, my voice already cracking. "He taught me very early on that my disability didn't mean that he loved me any less. If I wanted to go down the slide on the playground, he would happily take me out of my chair and slide down with me. He fought for my accommodations in grade school just as hard as he fought to lift Munchkinland's ban on homosexuality. For the most part, Father was extremely accepting of those who were different …" That's when I lost it. My throat constricted as I tried to restrain my sobs.

Then, I felt a rush of gratitude as I saw Evit drive up to the front of the church and park next to me. He looked over at the paper I was holding. "'Father was extremely accepting of those who were different, especially Animals and Evian immigrants who wanted to make Munchkinland their home. He successfully endured the pain of watching my mother die, and he honored her life every day. It is a small comfort to know that he is now reunited with her. Just as I have lost a good father, Munchkinland has lost a stellar governor, and I am certain our whole providence feels that loss.'" The congregation clapped, and I gave Evit a hug of thanks, still unable to speak.

Father was buried next to Mama in the cemetery on our property, as I had ordered, and the next day, I was officially sworn in as governor. Evit and Rachel stayed, saying that they would remain in Munchkinland for as long as I needed them. Amazing.

The night after I was sworn in, I was in the Solar, which overlooked the cemetery, and I could've sworn I saw a black and green fleck near Father's grave.


	15. Debates and Meditations

**Hello! Chapter Fifteen here! I apologize if reading this chapter is like watching C-SPAN: Munchkinland Edition. Nessa** ** _is_** **the governor, after all.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

I had my first senate meeting that Monday. Father had made the governor's box accessible practically as soon as I was born, so physically taking his place was no trouble. Emotionally, however, was a different story. Looking down at all the senators below me, slowly filing into their seats, I realized that they all now looked to me for leadership, for comfort. Well, except maybe Bronzeman, who was casually chatting with some of his colleagues, as though nothing had happened. I didn't know how I was going to deal with him, but nearly half the senate knew him for what he was: a dick.

Pfeeson, a senator from the Pine Barrens and one of Father's friends, came up to me. "Ready for your first day, Madam Governor?"

I sighed. "I hope so."

"Oh, you'll be fine! You're brilliant! Just … start slow, Nessarose. I know you want to put a lot of issues on the table, but you have to win their trust first. Bronzeman and his allies already think you're too young and radical to lead. Prove them wrong."

"You're right," I said. "I'll get this water bill passed first. That shouldn't be too difficult. But … Pfeeson, I want Munchkinland to be a safe haven for Animals. I want Munchkinland to be a safe haven for my sister."

He held up his hand. "I know, I know. I want that too. I knew Elphaba too, remember? She could never commit any of the crimes they're accusing her of. I think it's wrong of the Wizard to frame an innocent girl like that. But you have to understand-…"

"I know, most of the senate think she really is evil. But I'm their governor. If they can't trust me, who can they trust?"

"I don't know."

A few clock ticks later, I called the senate to order. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Munchkinland Senate," I began. "I know that the loss of my father, Frexspar Thropp, is still a healing wound for all of us, however, I think he would want us to waste no time in continuing to make Munchkinland a better place for all. The issue I would like to discuss today is the water bill that my father was working on at the time of his death. This bill would put a tax on the water that we get from Lake Chorge. The tax percentage for each household would be based on that household's income, so that the tax is fair to all. The money would be used to renovate some of our schools, fund Munchkin Care, and repair patches of the Yellow Brick Road that our Wonderful Wizard seems to have forgotten about. Any objections to this proposal?"

Of course, Bronzeman stood up. "Madam Governor, let me first say that that was a real nice speech you just gave for your first day on the job. I guess those professors up at Shiz really taught you well. But you, much like your father before you, have forgotten that the tax you have proposed is borderline tyrannical to Munchkinland's everyday citizens. How do you think they're gonna grow wheat when you're taxing their water?"

I gritted my teeth and restrained myself from saying something very, _very_ rude. "I _appreciate_ your concern for Munchkinland's farmers, Senator Bronzeman, but I think you missed the part of my proposal where I said that a household would be taxed according to their income. Namely, poor Munchkin farmers would be taxed less, and wealthy landowners and politicians like you and I would be taxed more. You also seem to have forgotten that Munchkinland's biggest crop is corn, not wheat."

"But that's not fair! If there has to be a tax, all citizens should pay it equally!"

Senator Tarog spoke up. "There you go again, Bronzeman! Always contradicting yourself!" Needless to say, Father's water bill did not get passed that day.

But when I got home, I found Evit sitting at the dining room table with a pensive look on his face. "I've been thinking about jobs again," he told me.

"Oh!" I said, intrigued. "What do you have in mind?"

He grinned one of those grins that still managed to give me butterflies. "Well, I heard that the new governor of Munchkinland needs a Secretary of the Treasury. So, given my minor in business, I think I could help her with Munchkinland's financial situation. Whatdya say?"

I bit my lip, thinking. "Bronzeman would tear me apart for hiring my lover, and I'm sure he would use a dirtier term than that. But, it's not illegal as long as we keep our relationship public, and hey, I didn't want you to go home anyway." I smiled over at him.

He smiled back. "All I would ask for is free room and board and your footman Deroy as my PA."

"Consider it done!"

The next day, the headline of _The Munchkin Journal_ read: "NEW GOVERNOR THROPP PULLS NO PUNCHES AT BRONZEMAN." I was proud. Some of them _were_ looking past my youth and disability to respect me as a legitimate politician. Meanwhile, _The Emerald City Times_ reported that the Gale Force had almost caught Elphaba outside Traum, in Gilikin. If Madam Morrible's lying journalists were to be trusted, apparently she had temporarily stunned the Wizard's men before making a quick getaway. I wondered how many close calls she could have before her luck ran out.

Father's water bill got passed later that month, thanks to the majority of Munchkinland's senate actually listening to common sense for once. And even though it was just a little water bill, I felt like I was honoring Father's dying wish. Fabala never believed in the afterlife, but I knew Father was watching from the sky, or wherever the Unnamed God lived. I knew he was proud of me. And maybe he was now proud of Fabala too. I will be the first to admit that this is pure speculation on my part, but I think that death enlightens a person about their life. They go see the Unnamed God, who tells them all the things they didn't know in life, all the things they wish they had known. So maybe Father now saw Elphaba as she truly was, and was rooting for her along with me. I sure hoped so.

 **Yep. That last bit just kind of … poured out. Hope you liked it!**

 **Thanks for reading!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	16. Chapter 16: The Wicked Witch of the East

Chapter 16

Evit, looking utterly handsome in his grey suit, was speaking to the residents of the Restwater Center for the Handicapped as I watched in admiration. "All of you deserve more than this," he told them. "You deserve education, you deserve careers, hopes, dreams, love! All that good stuff! But our legislature has been too stubborn to give it to you. Well, it's time to meet the woman who can make it all happen for you, Governor Nessarose Thropp!"

My fellow Crips clapped as I made my way to the podium. Evit and I shared a quick kiss before he returned to his seat. "I'm lucky," I began. "My father, rest his soul, was rich and powerful enough to keep me. As next in line to be governor, I was guaranteed job security from birth. But you all are not so fortunate. You all would be farming, or running a business, or schoolteaching if it was not for your disability. I know most of you are struggling to get out of here, but Munchkinland bureaucracy is holding you back. Join me, and together we can cut the blue tape, and help our great province gain more productive members of society!" They all cheered their approval, and I knew I had won another group over.

Evit and I had been doing this for about a month now, going around Munchkinland to various institutions to win over the disabled community. Of course, it wasn't all that difficult, seeing as they were thrillified to finally have a leader who looked like them, but their support would be essential once Munchkinland's aging senate started retiring.

But they hadn't started retiring yet, and they fought me every step of the way when it came to improving the lives of disabled Munchkinlanders. Some of the less insane senators called me an "excessive spender;" Bronzeman just called me a tyrant. But I truly did not care. I was doing what I had always wanted to do, making a difference for people like me.

"They are all madmen!" I ranted to Evit after an especially hard day. "I mean, I explain my plan to them in every way possible, and they are STILL like, 'You're wasting government money,' 'You're a radical tyrant.' It's insane!"  
"Yeah, and what's even more insane is that they're completely wrong," Evit said. "According to my calculations, your new water tax will bring in 800,000 werths by the end of the year. That should be more than enough to get those people back in their own homes."

"If the senate even approves." But then I thought of something. "Wait a clock tick. The senate doesn't _have_ to approve! I can pass an executive order!"  
Evit suddenly panicked. "Whoa, Rose! I wouldn't do that. That could go to your head fast. When my parents were our age, Lord Dumos of Gilikin passed a whole bunch of executive orders that seriously messed him up. He got way out of control, and eventually got overthrown."

"Well, I won't let myself get out of control," I insisted. "This needs to happen, Evit. I promised myself I would help my people. _Our_ people. You know that."

"Yes, I do, but I just think you're going about it the wrong way." He tried to put his hand on my back, but I backed away from him.

"And what do YOU think I should do?! Keep fighting the senate until the end of time?! This needs to get done NOW! Those people are suffering in those homes!" With some of my anger spent, I let him touch my shoulder. I have to admit, it felt good.

"I just don't want to see you jailed, or worse, executed." One look from him was all it took. I smiled at him.

"I won't be." But even so, I kept Evit's warning in the back of my mind.

 _Executive Order #18759:_

 _All centers for the physically or developmentally disabled are hereby and effectively shut down. All residents of said centers will be financially assisted in obtaining homes and care. Any resistance from institution employees will result in military action._

 _Signed, Governor Nessarose Thropp_

"This is an outrage!" Bronzeman exclaimed the next day at the senate meeting. "Don't you all see what she's doing? She's abusing her power for her own benefit!"

"Oh, really?" I said. "Am I in one of those homes? I didn't think so. Therefore, it's not for my benefit, but for thousands of Munchkinlanders who deserve a chance at life! Don't you see that?"

"No! I see a dictator! That's what you are!"

Pfeeson slammed down on his desk. "People! Madam Governor has made an executive order! Deal with it!"

"How?!" Bronzeman shot back. "How am I supposed to deal with this despot, this WICKED WITCH?!" I knew he said that to get under my skin, and it worked. I suddenly had some idea of how Elphaba must've felt those years ago when that title was first put on _her_. But it didn't make sense for me! I wasn't a witch; I didn't have any powers, not magically, anyway. Even so, chants of "WICKED WITCH" resounded around the room.

"ENOUGH!" I finally yelled. "I will NOT have such mutiny in my own government! I am doing all of this for the common good! This session is OVER!"

But the name stuck. "The Wicked Witch of the East." There were protests outside the mansion, calling for my impeachment. I had no choice; I had to have them arrested. I had a goal to get to, and I wouldn't let anything get in my way. Evit and I talked less. When we did talk, it was mostly about "official" business, governor to secretary. I knew he was less than happy with my recent actions, but I had to do what needed to get done.

One morning about a month later, I was just waking up when I heard a voice coming from my wardrobe. "Well, it seems the beautiful get more beautiful, while the green just get greener."


	17. The Thropp Sisters

**Hi! Chapter 17 here!**

 **Going Back Home, I realized I FORGOT to reply to your review in the last chapter! I am such an idiot! But yes, guilty as charged. There will probably be some more Hamilton references later on.**

 **Also, a point of clarity: in this version, Elphaba comes to Colwin Grounds a bit earlier than she does in the musical, so the Flinda engagement is not happening yet.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

I thankfully managed to only let out a little shriek. I sat up in bed. "Fabala?!" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

There was a snort from inside the wardrobe. "No, it's the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Who do you think it is, Nessa? Is the coast clear?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, still astonished at her sudden appearance. Elphaba emerged, looking a lot more worn and thin than when I had said goodbye to her at Shiz. But most of that worn look melted away when she saw me.

"Nessie!" And the next thing I knew, she was sitting on the bed with me, pulling me into a hug. "Oh, Nessa, I'm so sorry I couldn't come to Father's funeral. I tried to visit you afterwards, but-…"

"I know, I know, you couldn't risk it," I interrupted her. "I'm not upset with you. At all. How are you, Fabala? What are you up to these days?"

She shrugged. "Flying, evading the Gale Force, helping what Animals I can." Suddenly, something started bumping around in my wardrobe. Elphaba sighed tiredly. "Excuse me for one clock tick." She went back over to the wardrobe. "Fine, you little son of a bitch, if you really want to come out that badly …" She opened the door and retrieved her broomstick. "So temperamental!"

I shook my head, smiling. "You _adore_ that thing."

"I do," she admitted, sitting back down on my bed. "He's been consistently reliable from the start, no matter how much I like to give him a hard time. You are going to laugh at how corny this is, but I almost consider him a friend."

I snickered. "Are you sure it's not a girl broomstick?" We both burst out laughing at that. Unfortunately, Freidia heard us, and came in to check on me, and nearly fainted when she saw Elphaba.

"Madam Governor!" she exclaimed, holding onto the doorsill for support. "W-what …?"

I smiled jovially as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Freidia, please see to it that my sister's old room is ready for her use, and obviously there will be one more for breakfast."

"B-but she's …"

"One of the girls you helped raise? Yes, she is. This is her house too, so she is welcome here."

Freidia curtsied resignedly. "Yes, Madam Governor."

"You were always good at influencing people," Elphaba said once Freidia had left.

"Tell that to the senate," I said glumly. "I have to do most of my work through executive orders and I'm fighting Bronzeman tooth and nail."

Elphaba's eyes widened in disbelief. "Don't tell me that idiot's still around!"

"I'm afraid he is." I crinkled my nose just thinking about him. "His little cockroach face gives me the creeps."

"Well, remember what Father used to say about him?"

"What?"

She smirked. "That there were probably spiders nesting in his cotton candy hair." We started laughing again, as if she wasn't a wanted criminal, and I wasn't a notorious dictator.

Elphaba helped me get dressed, though we were out of practice in working with each other. It took a little over a half an hour. "That was pretty good for our first time in almost three years," I remarked once we were done. "Not that I'm expecting you to care for me while you're here. I have Freidia, after all."

Fabala shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't mind." Then she seemed to think of something. "So, how's Evit?"

My smile faded. "He's good. He's my Secretary of the Treasury."

"And that has put a strain on your relationship?"

"Not so much that, but he doesn't like that I've been using my executive power. He thinks I'm abusing it. But I'm not! I just want to help people! Like you do."

She tried to hide it, but I could tell that she was moved by my complement of her. "Well, I can't help you much with the romantic side of things, but I do know what it's like to be called … well, what you were called."

"You heard about that?" I asked, surprised.

"That's why I came, Nessie!" She grabbed my hand. "Well, that and the fact that I need a shower, clean clothes, and hopefully your endorsement. But I know what it's like to be called that. It's … not fun, to say the least. It's … such a simple insult, yet it does cut deep."

I thought about it for a clock tick. "They're coping with dealing with us by casting us as fairytale villains. Makes us seem simpler to defeat."

"That makes a lot of sense."

Suddenly, Evit came in. "Nessa, I've finally finished your semi annual budget," he told me. "I just need you to look over it and approve it for me." Then, he was taken by the sight of my sister. "Oh. Hello, Miss Elphaba. Long time, no see." When she didn't respond, he turned on his chair again. "Well, I'll let you two Thropp sisters get back to your little reunion."

"Evit, wait!" Elphaba called, surprising both of us. "Nessa and I are done for the time being. I need to go wash up, anyway. Maybe we can all have lunch together." Before she left, she whispered to me, "Talk to him!"

"So," Evit started nervously. "Your sister's back. Are you sure she's safe here?"

I nodded. "She's completely safe. Anyone who so much as touches her will have to answer to me."

"See, right there, there's where you sound like a dictator. Oh, I know you're not as barbaric as Bronzeman makes you out to be, but face it, Nessa, you _are_ abusing your power. And I know you're only abusing it for good stuff, but I worry about you! Not just because I love you like crazy (and I do), but because I'm the Secretary of the Treasury, and my governor's getting out of hand. You're a smart girl, Rose! Persuade them! Let them see that you're right, and Bronzeman's full of shit. Just like you did with Pagia when we were in school."

He looked so confident in me, but I felt so vulnerable. "You really think I can?"

"Of course you can! You're a Thropp woman! You don't mess with a Thropp woman!" I laughed, remembering myself saying that so long ago.

Starting then, I became a mistress of oratory. Sure, Elphaba helped me write the speeches, but I delivered them with unfailing passion, if I do say so myself. Though I often got enough votes to make small changes regarding the disabled and the Animals, the myth of the Wicked Witch of the East was still alive and well. Someone even went so far as to write on the mansion wall: **YOU WALK ALL OVER US, YOU OLD WITCH.** Now, I thought one of the problems they had with me was that I was too young!

One day, a few months after Elphaba returned to Colwin Grounds, she was off saving some Animal or other, and the senate was on a brief recess, so Evit and I were practically alone in the house. He invited me to take a spin through the garden. I, of course, agreed. "Father always liked to keep the garden just like my mother had it," I told him. "He always kept little reminders of her like that."

"They're beautiful," Evit said in awe. "Five Tree Manor is nothing compared to this. I want to stay here; I feel like I'm worth something here. Which is why I have to ask you something. Would you mind?"

"Of course, Evit, you can ask me anything."

He took a deep breath. "I know we've had our disagreements, and I know my dad probably wouldn't let me be the maurgreve, and I know I'm just a spoiled rich boy, but … will you marry me, Nessa?"

 **I know, I know, a cliffie. But at least it's a good cliffie this time!**

 **Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	18. Hopes for the Future

**Hey-yo! Here's Chapter 18, which probably would have come earlier had it not been for my computer crashing on Tuesday night. Yeah. It just went poof, which really freaked me out! Especially since my wheelchair was acting up too. But I called the company and they sent a guy to fix it yesterday (Thursday). And this is your typical rough around the edges computer guy. Well, once he replaced the motherboard and turned the computer back on, my background picture came up, which is a picture of Idina as Elphaba. He asked me if I was a Wicked fan, and of course I said yes, and he told me that he had seen Wicked with the ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST! As in, Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth! Never thought I'd be jealous of a computer guy.**

 **And I'm sure you came here to read Nessa's story, not mine, so let's get to that, shall we?**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

I sat stunned for a few clock ticks, barely comprehending what Evit had just asked me. _Evit, me, married … Mrs. Nessarose Sunnel … oh my Oz!_ My facial expression must have looked pretty stricken, because Evit started to get worried. "Oh Oz, I asked too soon, didn't I?" he groaned. "You're not quite over your dad's death, you have your political career to focus on-…"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, effectively stopping his tirade. "Yes. Oh Evit, of course it's yes! How could it be otherwise?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug, obviously immensely relieved. "But I'm glad it's a yes because it would be a tad embarrassing to have to return this." He reached into the side pouch on his chair and pulled a little blue box. "Besides the fact that I wouldn't get to spend the rest of my life with the most kick-ass, gorgeous girl in Oz."

Hands trembling, I took the box from him and opened it. I gasped at its contents: a beautiful diamond ring. I carefully took it out. "Oh my Oz …"

"Do you like it?" Evit asked, looking worried again.

I was stunned. "Like it? Ev, I LOVE it! It's cliché, but sweet Oz, it's beautiful." I put it on, watching in awe as it slid down my finger.

"Good, 'cause I wouldn't-…" But I quickly ended his worrying. During my first Rehab 199 class, I never would have imagined that I would be sitting in Mama's garden, kissing Evit Sunnel, my boyfriend, no, fiancé. But frankly, halfway through freshers' year, I had known that I was helpless for this man.

"So," Evit started breathlessly, breaking away from the kiss. "When do you wanna get married?"

I couldn't help it; I giggled. _I'm going to marry Evit!_ "As soon as possible, of course! I want it here, in Mama's garden. Nothing too big, though. I want Fabala to be my maid of honor."

Evit groaned. "Oh right, your sister. I'm gonna have to get through her first."

"Do you not like my sister?" I asked.

"Oh no, I like her alright! I admire her guts! It's just that she scares the shit out of me sometimes. One time, I was sneaking a piece of that apple cake that she made a couple weeks ago, and she came into the dining room without warning, glared at me, and said, 'Good day, Master Evit. Better save some of that cake for dinner, don't you think?' You don't know how fast I got out of there!"

"Oh, don't be scared of Fabala!" I said with a laugh. "Despite her rough edges, she has one of the biggest hearts I know. Trust me, her bark is worse than her bite."

Evit sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I'm going to have to get used to her if she's gonna be my sister in law." I grinned at the thought. We were going to be a family!

For the rest of the day, I was wheeling on a cloud. Evit and I explored more of Mama's gardens, we had lunch in the gazeebo, I laughed as Evit tried to spit watermelon seeds all the way to the bushes surrounding the gazeebo, and afterwards we retired to the drawing room to relax. We didn't talk much; we just enjoyed each other's company. I smiled as he gently played with my ring. For once, I was completely relaxed.

Later that afternoon, Freidia came into the drawing room. "Madam Governor, I thought you would like to know that your sister has just arrived in her room on her … broomstick."

Startling both Evit and Freidia, I squealed. "YES! That's great! Be right back, Ev." I quickly kissed him before getting on the lift to go upstairs.

Sure enough, I found Elphaba in her room, taking bobby pins out of her hair. Still in a very giddy mood, I snuck up behind her, and then threw my arms around her, letting out a shriek. To my amusement, she yelped as she steadied herself on the bed. "Oz, Nessa!" she exclaimed. "Are you actively _trying_ to give me a heart attack?!"

"Nooo," I said, giggling. "Evit and I are going to be married!"

She looked stunned for a couple seconds, and I was starting to worry about her reaction when she suddenly burst out laughing, practically lying on the bed in hysterics. I assumed that was a good sign, but I couldn't be sure. Finally, she composed herself enough to say, "He's asked you already?"

"Um, yes," I answered, a bit confused. "What's so funny about it?"

Fabala chuckled. "Oh, nothing, just something Glinda told me back when we were at Shiz." She tried to look serious. "Congratulations, Nessa. I'm happy for you. And even though I always hoped you would end up with that nice Boq fellow, if you love Evit, then that's wonderful for both of you." She smirked. "Just don't expect me to babysit any nieces and nephews. My days of doing that are over!"

I smiled and shook my head, knowing she was just joking. "You'll _love_ any kids we have! Not that we're thinking about that right now. One step at a time! We haven't even set a date for the wedding yet!"

Elphaba smiled sadly, all of her previous mirth gone. "I wish I could be there."

"But you _will_ be there!" I insisted. "It'll be just a small thing in Mama's garden: Brother Sperem will perform the ceremony, Rachel and Freidia will be my bridesmaids, Evit will bring any groomsmen he wants, and you'll be my maid of honor. No press, no officials, just … us."

"You'd really do that for me?" she asked incredulously.

I playfully hit her on the arm. "Well, I wouldn't want a high scale wedding anyway, if not because it's ridiculous, then because some people might show up to crash the wedding of the Wicked Witch of the East! But yes, part of the reason is to make it so that you can be there. It wouldn't be the same without you."

And so the exhaustifying wedding preparations began. Evit and I decided on Highsummer 14th, which would give us six months to prepare. Evit's father caught wind of the engagement pretty soon, and came to Munchkinland to "help," though all he really did was drink beer and ask me questions about my heritage, while stealing nervous glances at Elphaba, as if she was about to murder him at any moment.

One morning, I came down for breakfast to find Elphaba at the dining room table, reading the newspaper with great concern. "What's going on?" I asked, startling her.

"Well, it seems you and Evit are not the only high profile couple getting married soon," Fabala said with a sigh. "Glinda and Fiyero are engaged. There's going to be a ball tonight to celebrate."

 **Yeah. That's happening.**

 **Thanks for reading and letting me rant about my technology struggles!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	19. Dresses and Uprisings

**Hello! Last chapter! Well, besides the epilogue, which I mostly have planned out in my head. Can't believe this story's coming to a close!  
Enjoy! **

Chapter 19

So Glinda and Fiyero were engaged. I still remembered that moment in the clearing where I had seen my sister actually show interest in a boy for the first time, and it was obvious from the expression on her face now that she still had feelings for him. "Oh, Fabala …"

"I'm happy for them," she insisted. "It was practically love at first sight for them, and now they're getting their happily ever after. It's good."

I thought about confronting her about her feelings for Fiyero, but I knew it would only result in a vehement denial and another declaration of how perfect Glinda and Fiyero were together. "Do you want to go?" I asked instead.

"Well, of course I want to!" Elphaba exclaimed. "Glinda's my best friend! But I'm not going to risk my life just to go to an engagement ball. Lurline knows."

I smiled at that. "Well, it's good to know Glinda still has a knack for getting what she wants. I'm probably going to be invited to the wedding, but I don't think I'm gonna go. Munchkinland might explode while I'm gone, plus I have my own wedding to worry about."

"Oh! Speaking of that, I have a little surprise for you." She started up the stairs. "Meet me in my room." Startled by her sudden change of subject, and intrigued by what she had for me, I made my way to the lift.

When I arrived in Elphaba's room, she was standing by her closet, looking very proud of herself. "I know you were having trouble finding a dress," she said with a grin. "So, I made you this." She opened her closet door to reveal a magnificent ankle length white gown that looked somewhat like the black dress she always wore, save for the color (of course) and a lower cut at the neck.

"Oh my Oz, Elphaba," I breathed, unable to take my eyes off the dress. "It's beautiful. You shouldn't have."

She smiled. "Oh, but I did. I'm so glad you like it, Nessa. There's a veil too, but I'm not quite happy with it yet."

"Thank you, Fabala!" I hugged her, overwhelmed with gratitude. "You have time to do all that _and_ save Animals? That's amazing." I thought for a moment. "Now all I need are shoes …"

Elphaba laughed in disbelief. "You _have_ shoes, Nessie! The ones that Father gave you! You should wear them. I bet he would have liked that."

"Oh right, those …" Then, I remembered something. "You always wanted those shoes, right? No, don't even try to deny it; I know you did. Well, I know you're going to refuse to take them when I'm alive, so you can have them when I die. I definitely won't care about them then."

To my surprise, she didn't protest; she only quietly said, "Thanks."

"What's wrong?" I asked, a little bit worried.

"Oh, nothing, nothing, just thinking about you dying first is … kind of disquieting, that's all. After all, I'm older, so it would make sense that I would go first."

"Well, there's only a two year age difference between us," I said with a shrug. "By the time we're that age, I don't think it'll matter much."

"True."

After lunch, Elphaba changed her mind about going to the engagement ball. Of course, she didn't come out and say that; she only said, "Remember those Monkeys that the Wizard's probably torturing as we speak? I'm going to go and save them. With everyone distracted by the ball, today is the perfect day to do it."

"And you and I both know that's not the real reason you want to go to the Emerald City," I said. "Fabala, it's too dangerous! What if he rejects you? Or shoots you? Now I don't really think he would be that brainless, but still! Someone else could see you!"

She sighed. "You're right, Nessa. I can't lie to you. But I _am_ also going to set those Monkeys free! Seeing Fiyero and Glinda will just be a bonus."

"Alright. I can't tell you what to do. But Fabala, please, please be careful!"

"I'll try," she said with a smirk. "But as a walking commotion, I can only be but so careful."

I found Evit in the dining room eating some chocolate biscuits (of course). His face grew alight when he saw me. "Hey Rose! What's up?"

"My sister is an idiot," I groaned. "She just left to go on a dangerous mission in the Emerald City – for a guy!"

"Who? That Fiyero dude?"

I nodded grimly in confirmation. "That Fiyero dude. Fabala's a genius when it comes to books and magic and stuff, but when it comes to the people she cares about … she's not the brightest bulb. I hope she doesn't actually manage to get herself killed this time."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Evit said, putting his arm around me. "From what I've seen, your sister's a badass with the magic, so she could easily defend herself." I sure hoped so.

After dinner, I was in my room, drafting a speech that would subtly hint towards secession, when I heard a tapping on my window. Automatically assuming it to be Elphaba, I was quite surprised when a winged Monkey flew in. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, shocked. "What are you doing here, little fella? Is my sister on her way?"

He screeched and handed me a note. It read:

 _Nessa,_

 _Don't wait for me to come back tonight. I'm spending the night with Fiyero. Can't tell you where in case Chistery gets intercepted, but we are relatively safe. We'll arrive early tomorrow morning._

 _See you soon,_

 _Elphaba_

I started to go back to my desk to write a reply when I saw that the Monkey (or Chistery, apparently) was gone. Even though she hadn't specifically stated it in her note, I could only infer that the engagement was off, and the hunch that I had gotten back at Shiz about Elphaba and Fiyero making a good couple had proven to be correct. I sincerely hoped they were spending the night somewhere else because they didn't think they could safely travel all the way back here, _not_ because Fabala didn't want her nosy little sister around for her first time. Not that I would have disturbed her; Lurline knows, Evit and I could have kept ourselves plenty busy.

Not long after I resumed writing my speech, Evit came in. "Hey Rose," he greeted me. "Come check out this wind!"

I followed him into the living room and gasped as I saw the trees outside the mansion blowing almost sideways. "Wow," I said in awe. "That's pretty intense! I hope Fabala and Fiyero are okay out there."

"What do you mean?" Evit asked.

"I got a note from her by flying Monkey," I explained, as if flying Monkeys often delivered notes. "They hooked up."

He suddenly grew more interested. "Literally?"

"From what I gathered. It's about time Fabala got a little love in her life."

Evit suddenly grinned flirtatiously. "Now, what do you say we get a little love in _our_ life?"

I giggled. "Sure!"

A little bit later, thankfully once Evit and I were decent again, Freidia came in. "Madam Governor, a man from Munchkins for Change just stopped by," she told me. "He asked me to inform you of a meeting regarding secession going on right now in the Pine Barren. He has invited you to come."

"Oh, that's perfect," I said happily. "I was planning to bring up secession in the next senate meeting, and now I have cannon fodder."

"Yeah, it's great," Evit said nervously. "Only, it's pretty windy out there, Rose."

"Oh, don't worry! I'll wear a scarf! Besides, when does the governor of Munchkinland get invited to a Munchkins for Change meeting?"

"I know, this is your forte." He put his hand on my arm. "I love you, you know. Sometimes I don't think I tell you that enough."

I kissed him, breathing in his scent: mint and old books. "You don't need to tell me; I know. I love you too."

Then, I went upstairs to get ready for the windy journey, ready to make change.

 **There we go! The epilogue should be coming fairly soon.**

 **Thanks for reading!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


	20. An Epilogue by Evit Sunnel

**Well. Here's the epilogue. And for those of you who were hoping for a Nevit wedding – sorry doesn't really cover it, does it?**

 **HUGE thank you to my regular reviewers: Gothic Butterfly 95, Fae's Flower, and Indy's Green Hat. Virtual hugs!**

 **I was going to put this at the end, but I didn't want to spoil the end of the story. I have a few ideas for my next story, and I would like you to tell me which one you like best:**

 **Wicked in Elizabethan English**

 **After Dorothy arrives in Oz, the members of the Charmed Circle lose part of their memories and think they're back at Shiz.**

 **After No Good Deed, Madam Morrible decides to get rid of Elphaba by sending her to New York City circa 1989.**

 **And now, the epilogue! Enjoy!**

 _Let me tell you what I wish I had known_

 _When I was young and dreamed of glory:_

 _You have no control_

 _Who lives, who dies, who tells your story._

An Epilogue by Evit Sunnel

On the night Nessa never returned home, I guess I should have been worried. The weather was bad, and I knew she had many enemies. But, I also knew that Nessa was extremely determined; even I had trouble changing her mind once it was made up. She was the governor of Munchkinland, she was helping her sister fight the Wizard, she had things to do. So, at about 2 AM, I fell asleep in my chair.

The next morning, which I can still remember as if it were yesterday, Nessa's personal maid, Freidia, woke me up. "Urg," I groaned, not yet coherent. "Whassup?"

"Master Evit, I'm very sorry to tell you this," she began. "But Madam Governor has been found dead."

All traces of sleep left me. "Dead? How? What happened? Are you sure?"

"I'm afraid I am, sir. Spinnal, one of the Munchkins for Change, came by while you were still asleep, and he told me that some sort of building, or part of a building, fell on her near Center Munch." But I couldn't believe her. I ordered a carriage to take me to Center Munch.

I'll never forget that sight. Rose's feet, in those black and white striped stockings that her sister had given her for her birthday, and those beautiful silver shoes that she had always liked, poking out from under a very strange house. Her wheelchair was tipped sideways a few feet away from the house. She must have been blown out of it. I can only imagine the terror she must've felt when she saw that thing coming down on her, unable to run away. I could only stay there for a few clock ticks before I had to go back to the mansion to get ahold of myself.

They _sang_ about her death. The song rang throughout Munchkinland: "Ding dong, the Witch is dead!" Way to twist the knife. The girl who had been trapped in the house was given Nessa's shoes by Glinda, who I had never really liked. Elphaba, apparently, got so pissed off at this that she threatened to kill the girl. I was almost right there with her.

Glinda helped me retrieve Nessa's body. I was expecting the worst, but she actually looked pretty good, from the outside, at least. There was some slight bruising on her face and hands, but the injuries were mostly internal. Brother Sperem, who had been planning for a wedding, now had to do a funeral. Nessa was buried at Colwin Grounds near her parents.

Elphaba didn't live too much longer after that. The girl in the house, Dora I think her name is, was ordered by the Wizard to kill her. She got help from a talking scarecrow and a very effeminate Lion. The Scarecrow, especially, was eager to "find the Witch" and "help Oz," as he put it. With Glinda's help, I visited Elphaba a few weeks before her death, hoping to share some empathy over poor Rose, but she only kept apologizing for not being able to save Nessa, and ranting about getting her shoes back. It wasn't her fault. Fiyero, the guy Rose and I always knew she loved, had been killed the morning after Rose died, so Elphaba was pretty much off the deep end. She died miserable, poor thing.

The Wizard and Dora left for the Other World (or so they claimed) shortly after Elphaba's death. Glinda became Throne Minister, and she slowly but surely reversed the Wizard's Animal Banns, and eventually posthumously cleared Elphaba's name. But she never cleared Nessa's. Not that Nessa was ever an official criminal, but even today, she is known in some circles as the "Wicked Witch of the East." Now everyone in Oz admires the brave green girl who fought against the Wizard no matter what. But no one remembers the strong Crip girl who was determined to rise above pity and fight for her rights. They just remember the cruel dictator, the wicked witch.

And me? I married Fralina bon Massere, of all people. My dad wanted me to marry, and Fralina's father offered a pretty good sized dowry, so that was that. I never loved Fralina, and even though she had matured since her days as Nessa's pain in the ass suitemate, there was never anything between us except friendship. She was remorseful for how she had treated Nessa at Shiz, so she agreed to help me finish Nessa's work. We got permission from Bfee, the new governor of Munchkinland, to establish a college preparatory school in Nest Hardings for disabled students. I know Rose would have loved to see children just like her and me being encouragized to achieve their highest goals.

I don't think I'll ever get over Nessa. I don't cry myself to sleep every night about her, but not a day goes by when I don't think of her. I remember that time in the cafeteria at Shiz, when she had kissed me and said, "Oh Evit, when are you going to realize that you actually are worth something?" She showed me that I could be more than a nobleman, and that's what I'm trying to be now, for her, even thirty years later. I can't wait to see her proud smile when we meet again.

It was a couple of months ago when Gawno, the current governor of Munchkinland, stopped by Five Tree Manor. He told me that he was going through Nessa's things (no one else had dared do that because of superstition) and he had found a white wedding dress in her closet. That almost brought me to tears. It hangs in my closet now, and always will. But Gawno also found a manuscript entitled "Too Young to Die Old" in Nessa's desk and thought that I should be the one to read it and decide what to do with it. I was hooked by the first few lines:

 _It was the longest, most awkward carriage ride I had ever been on. Elphaba was staring out the window with wide eyes, like she was a little kid at Munchkin Wonderland. Father was glaring at Elphaba, and our driver, Finley, was focusing on the road, trying to ignore all the tension. And I? I was reading_ No Pity _by Upodi Darkson, a wonderful book detailing the disability rights movement in Oz thus far. Did you know that Shiz's Reckbith program was originally for disabled veterans of the Evian War? I certainly didn't!_

Reading that thing from start to finish was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I was enchanted by Rose's passion all over again. Her dedication to disability rights, her dedication to her sister, there were so many things in there that reminded me why I loved her so much. I didn't have to tell her story; she told it herself, and now all of Oz can read it for themselves.

 **Once again, thanks SO much for reading!  
Cheers,**

 **Elle Dottore**


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